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Prize Essai's on Spinninc, 



AS THEY Al'l'EAKED IN THE 



WOOL AND COTTON REPORTER. 



PURCHASED AND NOW PUBLISHED BY THE 



WHITINSVILLE SPINNING RING COMPANY 



WHITINSVILLE, MASS. 



U. S. A. 




PRICE 

/ 



j-j ^^^^a^c 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1895. by 

The Whitinsville Spinning Ring Co. 
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



O|.i50 



LivERMOKE & Knigut Co., Providence, H. I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



These essays on cotton spinning were written in competi- 
tion for prizes offered by the Wool and Cotton- Reporter in 
1890. They are, by the decision of the judges, the prize- 
zuinners in the series of twenty essays written by the several 
contestants, and published from week to zveek in the columns 
of the Wool and Cotton Reporter from Sept. 11, 1890, to 
Feb. 25, 1892. 

Tiuo first prizes, one second and one third prize, were 
aivarded as follozus : Essay No. 5, first prize, a solid gold 
Walthani watch, Geo. H. Edick, Dundas, Ont. ; essay No. 
6, first prize, a solid gold Walt ham zvatch, Samuel Rozu- 
croft, Kingston, Ont.; essay No. 12, second prize, a gold- 
filled Walthani watch, William Whittam, Jr., Westerly, 
R. I,; essay No. 16, third prize, a solid silver Waltham 
zuatch, John B. Ciidlip, Fall River, Mass. 

The judges appointed to examine the essays were Mr. 
Walter E. Parker, agent of the Pacific Mills, Lazvrence, 
Mass. ; Mr. A. M. Goodale, agent of the Boston Mfg. Co.,. 
Waltham, Mass.; and Mr. A. E. Adams, agent of the 
Whitinsville Cotto7i Mills, Whitinsville, Mass. 

The exchisive right to publish these prize essays was pur- 
chased by the Whitinsville Spinning Ring Company, of 
Whitinsville, Mass., by zohom they are now issued. 




GEORGE H. EDICK. 



GEORGE H. EDICK, 

OF DUNDAS, ONT. 

The earliest years of Mr. Edick's life were spent at the 
pretty village of Chadwick's Mills, a very quiet and rural 
spot, whose only plea for existence lay in possessing the 
neatest little cotton mill that could be found anywhere 
along the Mohawk Valley. Here he was born in 1857, 
and resided until he was ten years old, when he received 
his first impressions of mill life, which, by the way, were 
somewhat vague, as his father, being then foreman, pre- 
ferred to keep him at school. In 1867 his father moved to 
Canada and settled in Merritton, where he went to help 
start up a new (Lybster) mill. He was put to school 
again, but soon grew tired of this, and frequent visits to 
the mill interested him so much that he asked his father 
to give him a job. He did not prevail. Not willing to 
be put off, he attacked the manager, with the result that it 
was decided he should start as back boy. From back boy 
he came to be assistant on the spinning frames. In 1872 
the Edick family moved back to the States again, and he 
went to work in the card room. 

A better position being offered his father at Dundas, 
Ont., he returned once more to Canada, where he was 
given the position of second hand of spinning frames and 
filled it several years. 

When about seventeen, this work began to grow 
irksome, and he concluded to seek some other vocation, 
and began to fit himself for the medical profession and 
entered McGill University in 1878. The money in large 

5 



part he earned by running a pair of mules, which he *liad 
learned to handle in the meantime. He worked summers 
and schooled it winters, and finally graduated in 1883. 

Two years previous to this the cotton boom in Canada 
had assumed great proportions, and mills were budding 
forth all over the country. Soon Hamilton, Ont., was 
seized with the excitement, and ere long the Hamilton 
Cotton Mills was a thing of life and power. 

He was given the position of second hand on mules 
and frames. He left this situation to finish his college 
course, and began the practice of medicine in 1883, which 
he continued to follow for two years, when his health gave 
out, and he was forced to abandon all work for a year. 
At the end of this period he had used up all the capital he 
possessed and some that he did not possess, as he had a 
family to maintain. Not feeling able to resume practice 
again, he re-entered the Hamilton Cotton Mills as second 
hand in his former place. From here he went to assist in 
starting the new Des Moines Cotton Mill, Des Moines, la. 

After an absence of four months he returned to Hamil- 
ton, where he had the good fortune to secure his former 
position. In a short time his services were sought by the 
Brantford Cotton Mills in a similar capacity. From here 
he was transferred to a larger sphere of the company's 
(Dominion Cotton Company's) operations in Montreal, 
Quebec. 

His health being restored, he resumed the practice of his 
profession in Detroit, Mich., in 1892, where he now resides, 
and when opportunity offers still enjoys reading cotton 
chats and dreamily reviewing the scenes of years long- 
since gone by. 



PRIZE ESSAY ON SPINNING, 
NO. 5. 



BY GEORGE H. EDICK. 



CHAPTER I. 



This contest, which the generosity of the pubHsher has 
called forth, merits the appreciation and encouragement 
of all lovers of progress in cotton manufacturing. It should 
prove a valuable aid and incentive to a higher ambition 
among those for whose especial purpose it has been 
designed, while to those who enter the arena the reward 
of action, if not of merit, will more than compensate for 
the labor given. 

In response to this cordial invitation extended to spin- 
ners by the publisher to participate by contributing an 
article on the above subject, I will attempt to present to 
my brother co-laborers and other readers of the American 
Reporter, who may be interested in the matter, the causes 
and the remedies of various troubles continually arising 
during the process of spinning. In pursuance of this 
object, I have classified and arranged the imperfections 
generally encountered in the spinning room according to the 
distinguishing features observed in the yarn. While this 
division or arrangement is quite arbitrary, I believe it will 
commend itself to all readers, and I trust prove itself 
intelligible as well as practicable. 

I shall take up the subject under the following classifica- 
tion, viz.: Uneven yarn, cut yarn, raw, ragged, and tender 
yarn, curled, cockled, or knotty yarn, slack twisted yarn, 
kinky yarn, harsh or wiry yarn, overstrained yarn, ciliated, 

7 



8 



fuzzy, or hairy yarn, dirty yarn, badly wound yarrf, and' 
lastly, a few general remarks. 

In beginning our investigation, we will look first into the 
spinning room, where are to be found both ring and throstle 
frames. Afterward we shall review the subject in the mule 
room. To embrace both departments in the same effort, 
we would be compelled to travel back and forth pretty often, 
and would soon become fatigued and perhaps confused, 
and the matter under consideration would seem disjointed 
and lacking in interest, so that, at the risk of repeating 
some things, I shall refer to each room separately. 

Uneven yarns: Uneven yarn is the greatest evil in 
cotton manufacturing. To combat this and remove it as 
far as possible has been the object and aim of inventors 
and artisans from almost the very inception of the spinning 
industry. 

As to the causes of uneven yarn, in order to avoid giving 
undue length to this essay I have omitted to offer a remedy 
in a large number of instances wherein I have referred to 
causes which produce bad work in the spinning room. But 
it is only in cases where, from the nature of the cause 
operating, there can be no mistaking the proper remedy. 
But let us look for a few moments at some of the causes 
still operating to produce uneven yarn. We have (i) the 
condition and method of operating the leather rolls. 
Where the bosses of the same leather rollers, whether 
tight or loose, are not of the same diameter, a smooth, 
round, even thread cannot be spun ; some of the fibres 
will slip through without being drawn evenly, due to varia- 
tion in the surface contact with the fluted roll, together 
with an uneven bearing surface of the entire length of each 
boss on the fiuted roll. The unequal diameter of the 
bosses of the same roll, if tight, causes the leather to 
become chafed and rough from different surface speed, and 
if a damp and cool atmosphere or a very dry one is present, 
the fibres will lick up and lap around more on this account. 



Shell rolls would help this defect very materially, especially 
in mills where temperature and humidity cannot be regu- 
lated satisfactorily, which is a pretty general thing as yet. (2.) 
Deficient rotundity of the latter roll at the place where the 
lap occurs, preventing an even drawing of the fibres at that 
point, and causing a thin place to appear in the yarn. (3.) 
Flannels remaining on too long and becoming dry and hard, 
or separating where united, so that the leather fails to 
accommodate itself to the fluted roll and does not get a 
firm grip on the fibres. The bad results arising from the 
former are more readily seen on fine work. A hard roll is 
preferable on coarse work. (4.) Tight fitting leather rolls 
in respect to lateral movement, also too much backward 
and forward play due to the setting of leather roll directly 
over the centre of the steel roll. (5.) A loose leather roll 
or a grooved one made so by hard roving or through keep- 
inor the weisfhts on them when the mill shuts down for 
several days. (6.) Roving guides becoming partially 
filled with waste, and stretching the roving and disturbing 
the parallelism of the fibres. (7.) Where revolving top 
clearers are in use on frames which have only the front roll 
weighted, more or less interruption of their smooth, steady 
motion is observed as waste gathers on them. This irregu- 
lar movement gives a backward and forward action to the 
middle roll and is caused by inequalities on the surface of 
the clearer, and equals in number those observed on the 
clearer. The wider the rolls — top ones — are separated, 
the more general will this be throughout the frame, as the 
clearer settles down further between the rolls. If the 
middle roll could be made to turn the clearer, this trouble 
would disappear. (8.) Bad fitting and ill-balanced bobbins 
on frames. (9.) A lap on one of the bosses of a leather 
roll while the other ends are running. (10.) Rollers put 
in with the lap running the wrong way, — a very general 
thing among some careless frame spinners when taking a 
roll out to remove the lap. (11.) Rolls running out of 



10 

square with the fluted roll; that is, one boss a little ahead of 
another. (12.) In using the space behind the nibs of cap- 
bars as a gauge in setting the top rolls. This part of cap- 
bars does not receive the attention it deserves. There is a 
want of exactness in manufacture here that should not 
exist, as well as in the ends of the leather rolls, which are 
not always, I am sorry to say, concentric with the body of 
the roll. A better way of setting the rolls is to place a 
wedge between the back and middle roll to keep the middle 
roll where it will be when running. Then take a gauge 
and place between each boss of front roll and the middle 
roll. This will allow for any variation in the diameter of 
the leather rolls or want of exactness in the cap-bars. If 
this method should produce the effect stated under 11, it 
must be tolerated as the lesser of two evils. (13.) Hard 
turning rolls from lack of oil and accumulations of waste, 
and dirt burnt on the arbors of shell rolls ; also the flutes of 
steel rolls obliterated in places from impacted waste and dirt. 
(14.) Long piecings made when putting in a full roving, as 
it lifts up the boss of the leather roll and allows fibres to 
be drawn unevenly on the threads of that roll. (15-) Too 
slow speed on ring frames requiring a heavy traveler to 
secure proper tension, which, although not injuring the 
yarn on the large part of the bobbin, renders it uneven when 
winding on the small diameter. In the former case, ten- 
sion may not be sufficient. In the latter it is excessive. 

A better way would be to increase the speed and use a 
lighter traveler. In following this idea up do not run 
your frame to death, as there are other parts concerned in 
the making of the thread. If over seventy-five per cent of 
the breakages of ends occurs at the smallest diameter of 
the yarn or bobbin, you may be pretty sure a lighter trav- 
eler and higher speed will give more satisfactory results. 
(16.) Where two rovings of different sizes are placed 
together to spin one thread, there will be more or less 
unequal draught from different degrees of pressure 



1 1 

exerted. If they are of different color, the effect is very 
apparent in the yarn and cloth. If one should be several 
times larger than the other, the smaller one may sometimes 
come through without any draught, if uneven or much 
twist be present. Even roving, slack twisted as possible, 
good top rolls, and set wider than the steel rolls and 
gauged for the coarser roving, will help the difficulty. Do 
not fall into the error of separating the rolls too far here to 
overcome this obstacle. (17.) Gathering of waste around 
the top of the skewer from roving ends, which are allowed 
to hang down over the creel when the roving boy lays 
them up, or skewers binding in the creel from want of 
proper space between the tiers. (18.) Uneven roving 
spun on frames makes worse yarn than when run on 
mules. In these cases make draught as light as possi- 
ble, or reduce the speed if too high. (19.) And lastly, in 
this connection, a most prolific source of uneven yarn is 
found in improper adjustment and weighting of the rolls. 
If set too close, the fibres are either overstrained or broken, 
and if set too far apart, short fibres, many of them, fall out 
or lap around the middle roll, thus weakening the thread, 
and in both cases the draught is uneven. 

Further remarks on uneven yarn, which might be 
brought forward at this time, together with some direc- 
tions for setting the rolls, will be deferred until we come to 
speak of the mule room. Numerous defects to be men- 
tioned hereafter might be classed under uneven yarn, but 
I have thought best to give them a separate name. 



CHAPTER II. 

Cut yarn: (i.) Too much play in the joints of steel 
rollers. (2.) Crooked journals of the same. (3.) On the 
throstle frame when spinning fine numbers, if there is too 
much tension between the flier and the bite of the roll 



12 



when the bobbins become well filled and the fl?innel 
washers and bobbins are not in good order, cut yarn will 
result when the frame starts up. This, more so, if the 
concavity of the bobbin at the bottom is very slight, as 
then the friction is increased. If to these there be added 
a large bore in the bobbin, the result is more clearly seen. 
(4.) Pinion gear set too deep or not deep enough. About 
4-5 will be found a good working distance, and less in 
some cases, on change gears. (5.) In changing pinions, 
neglecting to turn the back roller one tooth forward, to 
avoid the possibility of cutting the yarn. (6.) On filling 
frames, or where a small bobbin is in use, stopping the 
frame when the ring rail is at the top of the chase, caus- 
ing a pull of the yarn very nearly at right angles to the run 
of the traveler when starting again. The heavier the 
traveler, or less twist in the yarn, as in filling, the greater 
the evil. 

Raw, ragged or tender yarn : This description of yarn 
is produced: (1.) By using too heavy a traveler, or from ex- 
cessive strain at some point. (2.) A worn ring or a loose 
one. (3.) A worn traveler. (4.) Guide wire out of line or 
badly worn at the bearing surface. (5.) Strained, raw or 
lumpy roving, or roving with soft and thick places. (6.) 
Raw cotton burnt in the bleaching or dyeing. (7.) Very un- 
even roving, or roving below the standard number. (8.) 
Coarse and fine fibres ; if the difference is great, worked 
together. (9.) Too great a variation in the length of the 
staple, especially when the short fibres are over numerous. 
(10.) Too great a proportion of immature and poorly de- 
veloped fibres. (11.) Too much waste. (12.) Cut roving. 
(13.) Rolls set too close, cutting or breaking the fibres, or 
too far apart. (14.) Too much twist. 

Cockled, curled, or knotty yarn: (i.) Faulty adjustment 
of the saddles, stirrups, etc., whereby they do not ride 
squarely on the roller, but impinge more or less at the 
sides, especially when there are half a dozen or so pieces, 



13 

comprising the " set," used in giving weight to the rollers. 
A disarrangement in these " fixings," coupled with a rather 
light weight, often causes a hitch in the drawing of some 
of the fibres, and thus produces knots, or bunches, or 
"cockles," in the yarn. (2.) Too close position of the front 
and middle roll. (3.) Loose leather rolls. (4.) Too long a 
staple. (5.) Anything that temporarily arrests the drawing 
of all the fibres, or a portion of them, such as a piece of 
thread waste that may have worked into the roving, or a 
piece of fibre which the card neglected or failed to remove. 
Oftentimes, where the roving draws hard or the staple is 
very irregular, or where the roving is very uneven or hard 
twisted or damp, or where sufficient weight cannot be ap- 
plied to the rolls, or where the rolls are set too close, the 
practice of running the small saddle with the highest part 
over the back roller is resorted to. This may prove more 
or less effective, but gives uneven yarn from irregular 
draught of the fibres, and is not recommended. Such a 
position may sometimes remove the cockles from the yarn ; 
but the short end or highest part of the saddle should be 
over the middle roll, to secure a smooth, even, and finished 
appearance to the thread. Very possibly this view may 
not coincide with the practice of some spinners. If not, 
the cause will be found in the direction spoken of. 

A milder form of this trouble, but without any arrest of 
the drawing of fibres, may be aptly termed contracted 
yarn, caused by (i) leather rolls with very uneven sur- 
faces ; (2) too light a traveler ; (3) slow speed ; (4) too 
much twist; (5) on throstle a lack of tension on the yarn. 

Slack twisted yarn : Twist is one of the most important 
factors in the production of yarn, and upon its constancy 
and regularity will depend very largely the success achieved 
in any mill, (i.) Much variation in twist will give rise to 
serious trouble in subsequent processes, and become a 
fruitful source of much poor cloth in respect to color, 
strength and finish. (2.) Where dyed cotton is spun, or 



14 

• 
doubled, or different shades of roving are run together, a 

variation in the amount of twist is readily seen in the 
cloth and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to finish pieces 
alike. (3.) Spindle steps should receive careful attention 
in respect to cleaning and oiling, as lack of system on this 
point will show up in weak yarn, particularly with the 
Rabbeth form of spindle. (4.) Uneven tension of the 
spindle bands or slack bands producing yarn of different 
diameter, strength, smoothness, and lustre. Bands can now 
be purchased which, when applied to the spindles, are of 
the same tension, — an important advantage. Numerous 
devices have been put on the market claiming to overcome 
all the evils of variable twist. But so far as my observa- 
tion extends, they are not entirely satisfactory. (5.) Dif- 
ference in the diameter of spindle bands, by varying the 
amount of twist, and quadrant set too far back. (6.) In- 
sufficient curve given to the finger attached at the bottom 
of the locking bar or arm of the faller, which should allow 
the faller to unlock a little later each stretch. (7.) Bands 
having an accumulation of waste making them thicker 
than normal. (8.) Whorls of varying diameters. (9.) In 
frames with a traversing bolster rail, the latter sometimes 
gets out of line, or becomes warped and bears on the 
spindle. (10.) Brasses in the bolster rail on throstle frames 
not set perfectly square, throwing spindle out of perpen- 
dicular. (11.) Waste gathering around the spindle at 
points which are close to the fixed portions of the frame, 
such as bolster, wire hook, over whorl, etc. (12.) Careless- 
ness when piecing up ends, in not fastening the bobbin on 
the spindle. (13.) Waste accumulating in bobbins and 
preventing proper adhesion. (14.) Alterations in twist 
due to the action of the weather on the spindle bands. 
(15.) In spinning very coarse filling on ring frames, say 
below 5s, where the double tin cylinder is in use, if the 
ends appear to go worse on the side corresponding to the 
cylinder receiving its motion direct from the belt and no 



15 

assignable reason can be found, it might be well to remem- 
ber that there is less twist in the yarn on that side, owing 
to the spindles being driven from a cylinder which is itself 
turned frictionally. (i6.) Where the same yarn is spun 
with fillinof bobbins and common warp bobbins, although 
on different frames, if these frames are geared up alike, 
making no allowance for loss of twist on the smaller bob- 
bin. Variation in turns of twist at the small part of the 
bobbin is greater than that due simply to less diameter of 
bobbin. There is the increased strain to recollect, giving 
more length of yarn to be wound on in the same time, 
and so less twist per inch. 



CHAPTER III. 

Kinky yarn caused by: (i.) Slow speed and rather light 
traveler, especially if yarn is uneven or dirty, that is, con- 
taining motes, seeds, etc., etc. (2.) Guide wire becoming 
worn, and catching the thread under condition of i. (3.) 
Waste on traveler will do the same. (4.) Bobbins on ring 
frames worn rough at the top, catching the thread and 
holding it. (5.) On throstles, poor washers, as friction or 
dirt in the legs of the flier ; too much twist ; too little 
drag on bobbin; wide bore bobbin; too many laps on 
flier. These kinks formed by the above conditions fre- 
quently pass on into the yarn on the bobbin. Again^ 
winding is completely arrested, and the thread snarls and 
lashes adjoining ends, breaking them down. 

Harsh or wiry yarn: (1.) Yarn spun from cotton that 
has not been very well mixed or thoroughly opened. (2.) 
Insufficiency of doublings, particularly if with i. In 
other words, cotton that has not been worked enouo;h in 
card room. The coarser and harsher the fibre the more 
noticeable. (3.) In mills where the dyeing of raw cotton is 
practised, and the latter is then sent to the opener un- 



i6 

washed, or superfluous dyestuffs left on from overToading 
the fibres, rough, harsh, and wiry yarn will be the conse- 
quence. (4.) Too much twist, and more so if the yarn is 
very uneven. (5.) Neglect of spinners to pull off a double 
thread when one end runs into another. (6.) Roving 
coarser than the standard. 

Overstrained yarn: (i.) Elasticity is one of the most 
desirable and necessary features in yarn. If it is insuf- 
ficient for the special purpose desired, or too greatly re- 
moved in the process of spinning, the quality of the yarn 
and cloth is very much deteriorated. The amount varies 
from three to ten or twelve per cent, according to the 
quantity of twist and number of the yarn. Don't remove 
this elasticity by using too heavy a traveler. If one is 
used, more twist will be necessary, and the variation in 
number from the large to the small part of the bobbin is 
greater, and the twist will be less regular. Err on the side 
of a light traveler. (2.) Worn or bad fitting travelers, 
that is, those not adapted to the style or shape of the ring. 
(3.) Loose or worn rings or those of uneven friction sur- 
faces. (4.) Stopping frame when ring rail is at the top 
of the chase, particularly on small bobbins. (5.) Worn 
guide wires, or guide wires out of alignment with the 
spindle. Guide wires should be set so as to have the bear- 
ing of the thread come directly over the top of the spindle 
and kept straight, as they often get slightly turned, and 
obstruct the free transmission of twist, causing more strain 
of yarn at the bite of the roll. (6.) In starting new 
frames, travelers run heavy and give uneven tension, and 
cause more breakages in consequence of the rings being 
unpolished. Burnished rings can now be supplied, thus 
doing away with this disagreeable and annoying feature in 
spinning, and so destructive to good work at a time when 
such is most desirable. (7.) Rings not set square on the 
ring rail. (8.) Ring rail not level. (9.) The pin at the 
top of the lifting rods, which maintains concentricity of 



17 

spindle to the ring, is apt to get broken off unnoticed, al- 
lowing the ring rail, and consequently the rings, to assume 
a variable position in relation to the spindle. (lo.) Guide 
board out of its original position, (ii.) Waste on trav- 
eler. (i2.) Bent or broken fliers on throstle frames and 
bobbins chipped at the bottom, or torn flannel used as 
washers, or too many laps around the flier, or too few. 
( 1 3.) Unsteadiness in the revolution of the spindle or bobbin. 

Ciliated, fuzzy, or hairy yarn : (i.) Want of parallelism 
in the fibres of the roving. (2.) Insufficient twist to incor- 
porate the fibres into the body of the thread. (3.) Too 
close or too wide setting of the rolls. (4.) Too many short 
or immature fibres in the stock. (5.) Poor grading and 
mixing of the stock. (6.) Running top roll with rough 
end of the lap against the roving. (7.) Too small a front 
roll, and a necessarily heavier weight, joined with high speed, 
causing the fibres to curl up. (8.) Ends whipping together, 
or striking against separators. (9.) A large ring, by forc- 
ing the thread through a greater area, causing increased 
centrifugal action, thereby throwing the fibres out on the 
surface of the thread. (10.) Too much draught by disturb- 
ing the close opposition of the fibres in the roving. (11.) 
Too high speed intensifies the evils present in the fore- 
going. (12.) Vibration of spindle or bobbin. 

Dirty yarn (1) generally results from roving of a similar 
character, together with lack of cleanliness in handling. 
Clearer waste and flyings from broken ends getting 
twisted on the roving, together with seed, leaf, motes, etc., 
that were not removed in the card room. (2.) Too much 
oil on the rolls. (3.) Permitting waste to collect on both 
top and bottom clearers and rolls, so as to catch on the 
thread. (4.) When cleaning roller beam, letting waste 
come in contact with the thread. (5.) Piecing up an end 
before you have entirely removed the lap on the roller. If 
such yarn is plied or doubled it will not give satisfaction, 
as the twist will not run in regularly, and the yarn will 



[8 

look rough and spongy, or open in places where the for- 
eign matter is contained. 

Badly wound yarn: (i.) Neglecting to change the wind 
or speed of traverse motion when changing several numbers 
coarser or finer, piling up the yarn too much in one place, 
making soft bobbins and less length of yarn on them, in 
the other, the frequent crossing of the thread filling up the 
ring. The most satisfactory wind for warp is where the 
layers lie as close together as possible upon the first rise 
of the ring rail after doffing, as the chase lengthens some- 
what as the set fills up. (2.) On frames where the ring rail 
or bolster rail fails to travel, and this condition is observed 
to be general over the whole frame, look to copping motion, 
or the gear operating it; if local, the shifting rods are prob- 
ably at fault. Waste collects in the bearing of these rods, 
and requires frequent removal to secure a free movement, 
otherwise much annoyance is experienced by having a 
number of spoiled bobbins continually meeting the eye. 
There is an excellent little device on the market for keep- 
ing the lifting rods clean. (3.) Bobbins working loose, per- 
mitting the yarn to run under, or from waste inside, forcing 
the bobbin upwards on the spindle. (4.) Bobbins on 
spindles not in the centre of the ring rub on one side of 
the ring when full size and loosen the yarn. (5.) On ring 
frames where the driving belt slips, soft wound bobbins 
will be made in consequence of a reduction in the speed of 
the traveler, giving it less friction or relative weight, to- 
gether with less friction of the yarn on account of its 
slower passage through the traveler. (6.) The wind on 
throstle frames sometimes occasions much trouble through 
the traverse not being properly set. Bobbins may fill up 
too quickly at the top or bottom or at both points. If 
they fill up at both top and bottom, the fault lies in the 
position of the stud bearing on the heart wheel, being set 
too close to the fixed end of the lever. If, at the top or 
bottom, and only on one side, it can be remedied by adjust- 



19 

ing the bolster rail at the various places designed for that 
purpose. If bobbins run over at top or bottom, but only 
here and there one, you must add or remove washers 
accordingly, or perhaps you can adjust the spindle step to 
remedy the matter. (7.) On ring frames where there is no 
gauge for setting the bobbin on the spindle, and its posi- 
tion thereon depends upon the size of its bore, which, by 
use, becomes larger, there will be found, on looking over 
the tops of the bobbins when on the spindles, some one 
fourth to one half inch lower than others. This presents 
a very irritating spectacle to a spinner who has a good eye 
to symmetrical work. Besides, less yarn can be put on the 
bobbins, and the tension of the yarn will vary with the 
size of the bobbin. (8.) Waste gathering under the washers, 
raising the bobbin too high ; or it may be too low from the 
bobbin being worn fiat at bottom, or washer worn out. (9.) 
Slack bands. 



CHAPTER IV. 

What I have to say in regard to imperfections in yarn, 
traceable to some defect at the drawing rollers, or in the 
roving, is applicable to every type of spinning machine, so 
that if I mention some things now for the first time, their 
bearing upon other spinning frames will be implied. 

Uneven yarn : The greater part of all the uneven yarn 
made can be located right at the drawing rollers, (i.) 
Difference in friction of the leather roll, from unequal 
weight on the levers, or from laps around the back and 
middle steel roller, and even leather rollers. (2.) Saddles 
not riding perfectly square, but impinging more or less at 
the sides on the rolls. (3.) Stirrups bearing on either 
front or middle roller (steel) or attached to the saddle im- 
properly, throwing saddles out of right position. (4.) 
Changing from coarse yarn to fine, without change of top 
rolls, and maintaining the same weight on rollers in spin- 



20 



ning los as in spinning 28s ; keeping front and middle roll 
same distance apart, also regardless of size of roving, speed, 
or draught. (5.) Increased friction of skewer from its 
bottom and step being worn. (6.) Mule running out of 
square, stretching some threads when the mule strikes out 
and in, as well as cutting some when it strikes in too soon, 
at one end. This also varies the number, by putting more 
twist in less length of yarn at some places. On one of our 
American mules, these evils cannot occur, as the carriage 
is controlled by a positive motion and no vibration of it is 
possible. When once set square it remains so. The nice 
adjustment of this mule makes it specially adapted to high 
speed and good work. (7). Too much twist as carriage is 
coming out, on mules where head twist is used. Seventy- 
five per cent is about the average amount to put in to allow 
of regular drawing, but circumstances must be the deter- 
mining factors as to whether less or more would improve 
the quality of the yarn. (8.) Too much " drag " or " gain " 
of the carriage. If the whole amount of the twist is put 
in, some of the fibres will be broken. If head twist is used 
many ends will fall down, and yarn be filled with thin 
and thick places. (9.) Damp roving. (10.) Stock not 
properly mixed. (11.) Using too low a grade of cotton 
for the class of goods manufactured. Unevenness and lack 
of strength result from too much draught for the coarse, 
short fibres. (12.) Uneven roving, however caused. The 
yarn made from this kind of roving, if above 20s, is 
improved on mules, and particularly where the "jacking" 
motion is used. Otherwise, any defect in the roving results 
in a similar state of the yarn. If doubled or plied, the 
unevenness is lessened. The remedy for uneven yarn or 
roving is, less gain of carriage except where the " jacking " 
motion is used, which latter might be cautiously increased. 
If the numbers are up to or about the standard, you will prob- 
ably have too much twist in, as very uneven yarn does not 
take the same amount of twist, and this fact must govern 



21 



your action. If stock is poor, more twist may be required, 
and less tension on the yarn in backing off and winding. 
In other words, ease up on the yarn at all points. 

(13.) I am fully persuaded that uneven yarn is made by 
the too great distance apart at which the back and middle 
rolls are made to operate. Any draught whatever, through 
a space greater than the length of the staple, must occasion 
more or less irreo-ular drawino-. These rolls should be 
made adjustable for the size of roving, amount of twist, etc., 
on the same principle laid down for setting front and middle 
rolls. I will o-ive a few Qreneral suo-orestions for setting: 
rolls. First, never have the top rolls closer than the steel 
rolls; a little further in most cases will be better. Set rolls 
so that the distance from surface contact, rather than the 
bite of rolls, shall be a guide, as rolls on some machines 
are larger than others, and although the bite is the same, 
the larger rolls lie flatter upon the steel roll and so take 
up more of the space between the bite of the rolls. Set 
them no closer than the average length of the staple under 
any circumstances. In fact, a little further than the average 
length will give the most satisfactory results. Just how 
much further will depend on the ease of drawing, the size 
of the roving, white or colored cotton, the latter drawing 
generally more difficult, weight applied, amount of twist in 
roving and evenness of same. The more uneven the wider 
apart, if good twist is in the roving ; the more draught the 
closer, and the higher the speed the further apart. Setting 
rolls to the 1-30 of an inch at times is commendable. It 
may not be possible to strike the right position without 
experimenting. Use a yarn tester, or notice what distance 
of the rolls makes the most ends run best. Sometimes a 
few rovings do not draw well, if the rolls are pretty close 
together, due to some defect at the cap-bar. Get all 
rolls an equal distance apart. Also 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 
II, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, in the corresponding division of the 
first part of this essay. 



22 



CHAPTER V. 

Cut yarn: (i.) Pinion gears on the mule sometinies get 
filled up with impacted waste and dirt, actually forcing the 
gear up and preventing a firm grip on the back roller, 
whose motion becomes delayed at each stretch. (2.) Worn 
stands supporting the steel roller. Generally these stands 
are worn nearest the source of power. (3.) Where back 
steel rollers are driven by a gear on the extreme end of 
the front steel roller. (4.) Some back stands may be set 
in too close, stopping the carriage before the inward run is 
complete. (5.) The take-up scroll pulleys may not be set 
to take the carriage close up to the stops. If so, set 
further over, so as to give more drawing surface as the 
mule gets in. (6.) Pressing too hard on a top roll when 
picking off a lap, if the ends at other boss are running. 
(7.) Pushing the nose peg too far out at one time, or 
allowing the friction (winding) to become too tight. (8.) 
Faller unlocking too late. It must be unlocked before the 
inward run is completed. (9.) Springing out of the car- 
riage when it strikes in. (10.) Carriage striking in too 
easy on fine work, (ii-) On fine work, the grooves made 
on the leather rollers by retaining the weight on them 
in the same place for several days. (12.) Pin on the 
back steel roller gets worn, or pin hole in roller is too 
large, causing loss of motion at the beginning of each 
stretch. (13.) Irregular speed, especially with fine work, 
so that the carriage does not strike in hard enough ; also 
I, 2, 4, 5. 

It is not our present purpose to inquire into, nor do we 
understand the occasion to call for an inquiry into, those 
particular defects in the card room that give rise to the 
general appearances of the roving spoken of in this article. 
To do so would only prolong this essay, and be but a 



23 

repetition of much that has already been advanced by our 
friends, the carders. The general appearance and visible 
state of the roving are the only things that, in justice to 
them, we feel we are at liberty to make use of at this time. 
They have already informed us what causes contribute to 
the sum total of bad work mentioned under the various 
phases of uneven roving, and we know that the effects of 
bad work at any machine will be apparent in all after 
stages. 

Raw, ragged or tender yarn: (i.) Too much "drag," 
or " gain " of carriage, in any class of work. (2.) Insuf^cient 
twist or slack bands. (3.) If the roving is too coarse in 
places, the extra twist put in, together with the " gain " of 
carriage on mules where all twist is put in as the mule 
comes out, overstrains or tears the life out of the fibres. 
If head twist is used, the end is apt to break down, as the 
twist does not pass beyond the thick places readily. (4.) 
Strained roving, or roving below the standard number ; 
also, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, II, 12, 13, 14. 

Cockled, curled, or knotty 3^arn : The causes of this 
difficulty are the same as on the frames, which see. 

Slack twisted yarn: (i.) Twist band too slack, or mule 
very much out of square, binding cylinder and letting rim 
band slip. (2.) Indentations in the tin cylinder, allowing 
the small spindle bands to slip. (3.) Bolster rail out 
of line, or dirt in the bearings. (4.) Slack bands. (5.) 
Spindles wanting oil ; also, 5, 7, 8, 14. 

Kinky yarn: (i.) Too little "drag" of carriage, caus- 
ing the yarn to gather on the spindle points or form kinks, 
and frequently on colored work, or, when there is much 
electricity present, the ends run together. A finer toothed 
drag wheel would be a great improvement in spinning, 
especially on colored work. (2.) Sometimes threads gather 
on spindle points, while the adjoining ones are too 
tight and straining the fibres. This is due, as a rule, to 
uneven roving, and considerable variation in the numbers 



24 

of the yarn made on these spindles will be observed. 
Where there is much of this rovino; found at once, as some- 
times occurs on colored work when the dyer has burnt the 
cotton, or the carder does not make even work, it taxes 
the ingenuity of the spinner to the utmost to make even 
medium yarn. The twist, drag, tension of yarn in backing 
off and winding, and speed, all require re-adjusting ; and 
when, with this, you have the troubles of electricity added, 
you have a most undesirable job on hand. (3.) Some- 
times due to races beins^ hio-her at the extreme end of 
the stretch. (4.) Scroll bands drawing out, the carriage 
bein2[ set so as to run too much on the incline as the mule 
gets out. Then we must move the staple on the lever to 
make up for loss of speed of carriage. This gives too 
much yarn and forms kinks. (5.) Teeth on change 
catchbox becomins^ worn so that the front roll is not 
thrown out rapidly enough, allowing rollers to turn, some- 
times until the mule is quite out. Perhaps the movement 
binds somewhere, or shaft is out of line ; if not, give 
more spring. If still unsatisfactory, replace with new or 
a friction cam, which is superior. (6.) Kinky yarn is hard 
to avoid on fine numbers with the old self operator, as the 
faller has to come up early to avoid cutting the yarn, and 
the different speed of run of the carriage prevents an 
invariable point for unlocking the faller. This has been 
overcome now on some recent makes of mules. (7,) Do 
not run too wide a range of numbers with the same bevel 
of spindle, and expect to get the best results. The finer 
the yarn, the more inclination of spindle to the rollers. If 
there is too much bevel, the yarn runs off the top of the 
spindles, forming kinks. For filling between 22s and 40s, 
an inclination of 3 to 3^ inches when tried with spindle 
bevel. Back stops might be set so that the distance from 
top of spindle to bite of roller is 2^2 to 3 inches. Have 
change pinions for quadrant in such cases, if you would 
avoid kinky yarn. (8.) Too much twist. 



25 

Harsh or wiry yarn : This kitid of yarn is seldom seen 
in filling, on account of the small amount of twist present, 
but where warp is spun, the same causes that are given in 
Part I will produce the same effects here. A small amount 
of gain of the carriage, and insufficient tension in winding, 
will increase the difficulty and will show up somewhat in 
the filling. Under circumstances such as explained in 
Part I, there will be, of course, a degree of roughness pres- 
ent in the filling. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Overstrained yarn : (i.) Lack of perfectly free movement 
in the windino; friction, either in the worm which is turned 
by the governing motion, or in the worm placed within the 
arm of the quadrant. This latter may become bent near 
the top and give no trouble until the bottoms are about 
finished, when the nut runs up with difficulty ; or the upward 
play of the worm may become arrested occasionally, and so 
shortening the length of chain and straining the yarn every 
few stretches ; or, there may be too much upward play of 
worm, allowing it to rise when the quadrant arm gets to 
a forward position of about fifty-five degrees, thus suddenly 
lessening the strain on the yarn and as quickly catching it 
again. (2.) The set screw on the winding drum gear get- 
ting loose, preventing it turning readily. The stud, hold- 
ing spur gear to the winding drum, may also become loose. 
(3.) Winding drum gear may not be set true. It should 
be set parallel with the axis of the tin cylinder. (4.) Car- 
riage striking out or in too hard, or striking in too easy on 
coarse work. (5.) Squaring bands too slack. (6.) In back- 
ing off, the faller should gently follow the unwinding of 
the yarn from the bare part of the spindle, not push or 
force it down, more especially on soft twisted and tender 
yarns. (7.) Carriage starting to run in with a jerk. To 



26 

correct, give less winding surface, at first, to the scroll pul- 
leys, or restrain the full action of the take-up friction as it 
starts in. (8.) Pushing changing lever down too early. 
(9.) Counter faller set too low, giving too much strain on 
the yarn in backing off. The finer the yarn, the closer to 
the threads it must be set. (10.) Faller wires not level or 
slack, or too light for the work. (11.) Sickles not of the 
same curve. Sometimes they get bent and do not keep 
proper distance from the spindles. Set builder faller wire 
three eighths of an inch from spindles, when it is parallel 
with their top. When turned down it should be about the 
same, or a little less ; otherwise a soft and ragged cop will 
be the result. (12.) Too much gain of carriage. (13.) 
Lettino- scroll bands run too slack where such are used, 
instead of the side shaft to regulate the winding of yarn on 
the spindle. (14.) The faller may be worn at the couplings. 
(15.) Carriage may be too low in some places, and when it 
runs in, the tension on the yarn is too great at those places. 
(16.) The teeth on the click gear operating the winding 
drum gear may become worn so as to permit the click to 
pass over one or more teeth occasionally, as the mule starts 
to run in, or after it has run in a little, straining and often- 
times breaking the threads. This may be remedied by 
having the click throw in simultaneously with the locking 
of faller, as on some modern mules. See that the click 
does not set too high off the gear teeth. (17.) The fork 
on the front of the carriage depressing the lever, forcing 
backing-off friction in, may not be set perfectly level when 
mule is coming out, thus giving a jerking, upward move- 
ment to the faller as fork leaves anti-friction ball. (18.) 
Raising the cop too high on the spindle to compensate for 
loss of yarn when end has been down. (19.) Pushing 
nose peg too far out at once. (20.) Too much weight on 
faller, or, if too little, drawing the ends tight when carriage 
gets most in. (21.) Quadrant too far back or too far for- 
ward. In the former case there is too much strain on the 



27 

yarn when the carnage first starts to run in, in the second 
case when nearly in. If the quadrant can be set so as to 
be perpendicular when the anti-friction ball is on the high- 
est point of incline (builder), the spinning will be vastly 
improved. This can be done with proper pinion gear for 
the number of yarn spun, if bands are used for the winding 
instead of the side shaft. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Ciliated, fuzzy, or hairy yarn : (i.) Too much gain of 
carriage when the total amount of the twist is put in as 
the mule comes out. (2.) Soft wound or fluffy roving. 
(3.) Rough handling of the roving; also winding off 
roving from nearly empty bobbins upon full ones, disturb- 
ing the parallelism of the fibres. (4.) Faller wires worn so 
as to catch the thread when winding. (5.) Allowing 
spinners to use double-joint hooks to pull laps off the steel 
roller, roughening up the flutes. (6.) Dry rolls for want 
of oil, breaking some of the fibres through excessive strain, 
which then lie more on the surface of the thread ; also i, 2, 
3. 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, II, 12. 

Dirty yarn : (r.) Back boys fanning or blowing the waste 
up from the floor in sweeping or cleaning the roller beam. 
(2.) Carelessness in oiling the bolsters, allowing oil to get 
on the cops. (3.) Currents of air coming through open 
windows, detaching waste from the various fixings within 
the room, and also from the machinery, and having it fall 
in the work. (4.) Permitting machines to run while 
brushing pulleys, shafts, etc., directly overhead. (5.) Too 
long piecing when putting in a new roving, or clumsy 
piecings at the front roller ; also i, 2, 3, 5. 

Badly wound yarn : (i.) Neglect to alter the short incline 
on builder rail in going from fine to coarse. The bottom 
of cop is apt to fall under, through being too round, as 
coarse yarn does not lie as close as fine. (2.) Carelessness 



28 

in manipulating the governing motion, allowing too much 
variation in tension in winding, often letting cops run 
under. An almost, if not quite, positive governing motion 
has been on the market for some time. This, with care, 
can be regulated fairly well, although some spinners do 
not speak so favorably of it. (3.) Cops wound bunchy and 
soft at the shoulder and too tight towards the nose, giving 
it a hollow appearance there. Set quadrant further back, 
and see if the faller wire is set as shown above. (4.) Cop 
tubes of unequal size, allowing yarn to run below the tubes 
in some cases, and, when doffed, the bottom is ragged and 
makes so much waste. The spinner may neglect to push 
them all down to the same gauge. Where long tubes are 
used, your ends must be well kept up to secure good wind- 
ing, or loss of yarn on tube prevents firm winding. (5.) . 
Spindle steps becoming worn, letting the spindle down, 
o-iving thereby less winding surface on the spindle and 
consequently soft cop. Faller wire too high up in places 
produces a similar result. (b.) Cops may run under 
through the winding chain being slack when carriage get? 
out, as sometimes happens from insufficient weight on the 
rope, driving the winding drum gear, or waste in the teeth 
of same, etc., preventing spindles turning as soon as the 
mule starts to run in, and so lets the faller go down too 
low. The same thing occurs when spindles uncoil too 
much yarn in backing off. (7.) Bands may run off spin- 
dles when the mule is backing off if the cylinder is not set 
properly. A straight line drawn through the centre of the 
whorl, and continued backward, should pass directly 
through the centre of the cylinder. (8.) Indentations in 
the tin cylinder, or slack bands. (9.) Cylinder set screws 
becoming loose. (10.) Too little weight on faller. (11.) 
Pushing nose peg too far out at one time, burying the 
thread in the nose of the cop. Better use the automatic 
nosing motion. (12.) Failing to push the cop up far 
enough when an end has been down some time. 



29 



In drawing this article to a close, I will add a few gen- 
eral remarks on spinning. Keep all the machines well 
levelled up and have a secure and steady foundation under 
them, especially the mules. Keep good bands on the 
spindles, and plenty of good rolls running. Keep a supply 
of travelers close at hand, and if the work goes badly do 
not wait for them to come off the ring before putting new 
ones on, especially those larger than No. 6, as they may 
be worn badly without coming off. Keep the guide wire 
in perfect alignment with the top of the spindle. Varnish- 
ing top rolls on colored work is good practice if carefully 
attended to. Scouring should be systematically followed 
up — a lack of which is the cause of much bad work. Do 
not forget the ring rail in this connection. Place it in a 
bath of lye to remove the dirt and oil. Have belts only 
tight enough to drive well without slipping, and all oil 
holes cleaned out and sufficient oil put in to secure good 
lubrication. If the ends go badly on the ring frames, 
breaking down at the top of the chase and whipping 
together at the bottom, your speed is too high, and the 
yarn is very uneven or weak from some of the causes men- 
tioned earlier. A tooth or so of twist might remedy the 
weakness in the yarn a little, but this would cause more 
lashing of ends at the bottom from increased speed of 
traveler. A heavier traveler under such circumstances is 
questionable. On the other hand, where simply balloon- 
ing occurs, whether it would be an advisable procedure to 
remove five to seven per cent of the twist in order to 
reduce the speed of the traveler, and consequently the 
ballooning, is a question to be determined by the circum- 
stances. It may be that there is an excess of twist that 
causes the trouble. An increase in the speed of the 
travelers of the rino- rail would also assist in removino- 
ballooning. This might be accomplished with an improve- 
ment in the build of the bobbin. A good and safe 
practice to adopt in all cases where the ends go badly is to 



ascertain whether the proper amount of twist is being put 
in the yarn. 

I have said nothing about the amount of draught in 
rollers and carriage, as circumstances will vary this, and 
necessity knows no hard and fast rule. Good judgment 
must be relied upon in every case. An approximate state- 
ment can be given as follows : In draught of rollers do not 
exceed for los, 7.35 ; for 20s, 8; for 30s, 8.75 ; for 40s, 
9.50; for 50s, 10; and better results will follow in most 
cases if less is used. The more uneven the roving, the 
less draught should be used ; for carriage draught on 
the numbers 30, 40,' 50, i}4-iH' 2>^-2^, 4, respectively, no 
draught being used as a general thing for numbers as low 
as 20. Examine the roving and size the yarn every day, 
so as to detect any change in the character or alteration in 
the stock, and govern yourself accordingly. In taking time 
by the forelock you may prevent some disaster. Keep 
temperature and humidity as uniform as possible. Good 
spinning can be made with a temperature of from 75 to 90, 
according to locality and climate. The higher temperature 
may be necessary in some mills not well protected from 
climatic changes. A warm, humid atmosphere is best 
suited for spinning, and is necessary to keep the numbers 
even. When the wind blows hard, or the temperature falls, 
more heat is required in the room. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

It is a difficult matter to spin good yarn in cold weather 
when broken windows and crevices in the sashes, through 
which you can see daylight, are allowed to exist. At such 
times electricity is apt to prove troublesome, as it is also 
in very dry days when there is little humidity in the 
atmosphere of a room. Heat in the former case, and 
moisture, in the shape of hot water sprinkled over the lioor 
at frequent mtervals, is a good remedy in such cases as the 



31 

latter. A cold atmosphere hardens the wax on the fibres 
and lessens that adhesiveness spinners so much desire, 
causing ends to break and fibres to lap on the rolls. 
When there is an excess of moisture and heat, dry, hot air, 
if it could be obtained, would be an excellent thing. The 
burning of gas jets might help somewhat by supplying dry 
heat. Speeder tenders, when piecing broken roving, fre- 
quently give more twist to the roving than they should, 
and the spinning rolls fail to draw it. In both mules and 
frames several yards will sometimes be found to come 
through the rolls without any draught, and sometimes get 
wound on the cop or bobbin, and very often balloons out 
and breaks down adjoining ends, besides spoiling the rolls 
for good drawing. Keep an eye on that back boy when 
doffing, lest he bend the cop too much at the top or pull it 
out at the bottom ; also the frame doffers, lest they loosen 
the yarn on the bobbin when it (the bobbin) adheres tightly 
to the spindle. Carelessness and rough handling of the 
yarn, after it is spun, damages it for proper and satisfactory 
working in the subsequent stages. 

Overseers should preserve a dignified and manly bearing 
towards the help, and see that all orders are carried out. A 
lack of discipline in a room soon brings things into confusion. 
An overseer lacking in mechanical ability may succeed at 
one mill and make a failure in another where a different 
style of machine is used. His knowledge should extend 
back of and beyond his own department. If an overseer does 
not understand his business in every detail, he may always 
appear to be busy and yet accomplish little or nothing, 
work hard and have little to show for it. Such are gen- 
erally so-called cheap men, who want to experiment and 
learn something at the company's expense, and are willing 
to take a position for what thev are offered, and, realizing 
that they must do something, keep themselves always at 
work. The super, observing this, flatters himself on his 
selection. But " all 's well that ends well." 



32 

• 

Again, first-class overseers sometimes have their hands 
tied through unwise interference on the part of the super, 
who will insist on having his own ideas carried out in re- 
gard to speed, draught, amount of waste in stock and sup- 
plies, regardless of consequences, and blame the overseer 
in the meantime for the bad work. These matters should 
be left to the judgment of the overseer, if you have the 
right man. Some machines will stand more speed and 
draught than others, and who knows these peculiarities 
better than an overseer? Good work in paying quantities 
cannot be made when poor or insufficient supplies are forth- 
coming. Compelling an overseer to make bricks without 
straw, also, is carrying imposition too far. Again, a really- 
first-class overseer is forced to realize that his compensation 
is too small for the service rendered, the strong tide of 
competition being an excuse to take an undue advantage 
of a man who may not be in a position to resist. Conse- 
quently he loses interest in his work, and the help soon 
learn to appreciate his lack of restraint. Again, there are 
those who cannot have that as an excuse, but are well re- 
munerated for their labor. Some of this class are totally 
indifferent to the interest of their employer, and seek only 
to do enough to retain their position, and become careless 
in the repairs of the machinery. Throughout the room 
there is evidence of the motto, " Anything that will pass is 
good enough," staring the observing ones in the face. No 
system, no discipline, unless the super bears down on them 
too hard. There is only one remedy: Remove the cause. 
There are also help in a room who care only for the face 
of the paymaster. 

Bad work will arise from giving a spinner more than he 
is capable of doing well. Inefficient and careless help 
should be given an opportunity to try their fortune in some 
other man's mill. Then, again, there are underpaid help, 
which results in discouragement, and the work thereby 
suffers ; or a bustling, fussy overseer, who tyrannizes over 



33 

his help, who, in turn, endeavor to get even with him at 
every opportunity. Agents and all in authority should 
mingle a little humanity in their dealings with labor, and 
note the result. There are few whom a kind, encourasfingr 
word, or a properly chosen compliment bestowed upon their 
endeavors, would not stimulate to do better work and more 
of it. 

Broken windows, ragged curtains, unwhitewashed walls, 
unpainted ceilings and dimly lighted rooms, with an abun- 
dance of dirt and waste over everything movable and station- 
ary, are things demoralizing to help. They stifle refine- 
ment of feeling, blunt the inventive faculty, steal away their 
sense of self-respect, rob them of their manhood and woman- 
hood, and almost reduce them to the level of the machines 
which they operate. Pleasant surroundings, both inside 
and outside a mill, are conducive to the happiest results, 
both as regards the stockholders and the employees. 




SAMUEL ROWCROFT. 



SAMUEL ROWCROFT, 

OF KINGSTON, ONT. 

Mr. Rowcroft was born in Heaton Norris, in the borough 
of Stockport, Cheshire, England, in the year 1847. He 
received a common school education, and commenced to 
work in a cotton mill when about eleven years old. He 
worked for Messrs. Ashton Bros. & Co. at the Sheepwash 
Mill as back boy, piecer, and mule spinner until 1868, when 
he came out to the United States. He worked in Andover, 
Henry County, 111., for a year on a farm. He afterwards 
went to Rock Island, 111., and learned to be a stove moulder. 
In the spring of 1872 he went to Chicago and worked in 
the Chicago Stove Works until the fall of 1874, when he 
left to go back to England. He worked in Stockport as a 
mule spinner until 1879, when he came out to Dundas, 
Ont., and worked for the Dundas Cotton Company for 
about two years. He left there and went to work in the 
Craven Cotton Mill at Brantford, Ont. ; after being there a 
short time, he was sent for to go back to the Dundas Cotton 
Mill to take charge of a part of the ring spinning. When 
the Kingston Cotton Mill of Kingston, Ont., started, he was 
sent for to go there, where he worked until 1890, when he 
left to go to Hamilton, Ont. ; not being suited there he 
moved to Capron Mill, near Utica, N. Y. He then went 
to workin Kingston again, where he is still employed by the 
Dominion Cotton Mills Company as overseer of mule and 
ring spinning. His father and mother, and also his grand- 
father and grandmother, all worked in the cotton business. 



PRIZE ESSAY ON SPINNING, 

NO. 6. 



BY SAMUEL ROWCROFT. 



Though I am only a new subscriber to the Reporter, I 
take the opportunity offered of competing, for I think that 
the offer is a very liberal one, and ought to create enthusi- 
asm among both young and old, whether they are overseers 
or not. The subject is a broad one, and there is plenty of 
room for improvement. This being my first attempt, I 
expect to be left in the race, but if anything I may write 
should cause some of your young subscribers to put their 
studying caps on, I shall be satisfied. 

The reasons and remedies for bad work in cotton spin- 
ning: Bad work in spinning rooms maybe caused in a 
variety of ways, (i.) The yarn may not have twist enough 
in it, which will cause the ends to break badly, especially 
after doffing, when the pull of the traveler is hardest. To 
remedy this you must either put in more twist or use 
lighter travelers. Some overseers will use a little oil in 
this case, but I myself do not approve of it, as I think it 
has a tendency to cause more lint to adhere to the travel- 
ers. (2.) Fluted rollers may not be set right. If your 
stock is short, you need to have your rollers set very close. 
If long stock is used, they should be set further apart. 
Here is a place where the overseer needs to keep his eyes 
open and watch the work, or he may have the fibres crowd- 
ing one another, or they may be pulled apart through the 
rollers being opened too much. (3.) Lumpy or hollow 
rollers cause uneven and cut yarn. All rollers should be 



37 



38 

examined before being used, for I think that bad rollers 
cause more bad work than any other thing in the spinning 
room. They should be looked after all the time, and the 
help should be taught to keep a sharp eye on them, and 
always put them in the right way. (4.) Single and thick 
roving. All these should be saved and the carder's atten- 
tion drawn to them. The help should not be allowed to 
straighten them or pass them down on the quiet to the 
roving frame tenters. (5.) Bad piecings are a source of 
annoyance, and are caused chiefly by spinners leaving long 
ends when changing rovings, or not twisting the threads 
together, or by piecing up with under-clearers stopped. 
This is where an overseer and second hand want to keep 
their eyes open, and any one caught doing it after being 
cautioned should be instantly discharged. It will have a 
salutary effect on the rest of the help, as most of the help 
in ring spinning rooms are young, and careless at times. 
(6.) Running travelers too long. Travelers when worn, 
will chafe the yarn, causing it to be rough, uneven, and 
liable to break often. The help should be taught to look 
after them. They may be detected by breaking often and 
the tension there is on them. (7.) Spindles out of centre 
of rings, and thread wires not alignable. This point needs 
watching closely, as it is a source of great annoyance to 
spinners, and will cause many a string to get broken in 
preference to piecing up the ends every time the spinner 
comes around to them. I have found out that a little time 
spent in explaining little things to the help pays in the 
long run. (8.) Dirty rollers, top and bottom clearers, and 
roving guides, is another source of uneven and dirty work. 
Every overseer should put his foot down on this at once. 
Of course there are places where help is scarce and you 
cannot do as you would like to, but on this point you need 
to be strict. (9.) Overdraft. In some mills this is a 
serious trouble, and it is a great drawback to good spinning. 
It is common in small mills, where a variety of counts have 



39 

to be spun out of the same roving. (lO.) Oiling spindles 
and rollers irregularly. When spindles are not oiled often 
enough, they get gummy and make it harder for the bands 
to turn, often causing slack twisted yarn. When rollers 
are not oiled as often as they should be, or some of them 
are missed through the carelessness of the oiler, the yarn 
will come through heavy and it will look as though the 
rats had been at it. The leathers will get rough through 
chattering and are soon spoiled. This is another place 
where everlasting watchfulness is needed. 

There are numerous other things that will cause bad 
work in spinning rooms. Most of the above-mentioned 
causes and remedies will apply to the mule room, with many 
others besides. I will give a few of them : (i i.) Carriages 
out of square will cause a deal of cut yarn. They should 
be squared often, as the bands drawing out the mule car- 
riage are continually stretching. (12.) Scroll bands too 
tight or slack. They should be set so that the mule after 
backing off should start in without a pluck, and when get- 
tins into the beam, the check should hold the mule from 
striking in too hard, or it will be likely to cut the yarn, 
especially at the ends of the frame, or if the check is too 
tight it will not allow the mule to go in, sometimes caus- 
ino- the cam to chanoe before the fallers have unlocked 
properly, cutting the yarn and sometimes breaking all the 
ends down. (13.) Rim bands running too slack. This is 
another source of bad work, and allows the mule to start 
with a jump. Then making a pause, the mandoza weight 
will sometimes slip a tooth, causing the teeth to get broken 
in the drag wheel. The threads will twist together, caus- 
ing double threads, which are allowed to run without being 
broken out, especially just after doffing. Some spinners 
think that they are gaining time by allowing this to go on, 
but I would not allow it in my room. It is penny wise 
and pound foolish. (14.) Fallers locking too soon or late 
is another source of bad and slovenly work, causing the 



40 

ends to be broken just as the mule begins to go in. To 
remedy this, back the mule off slowly by hand. Then you 
can see whether the fallers o-q down slower or faster than 
the yarn uncoils from the spindles, and regulate the back- 
ing-off chain accordingly. When the mule runs into the 
beam and unlocks late, the yarn will coil on the spindles 
too close. If it unlocks early, it will put a snarl on the 
spindle point. To remedy this, move the block that strikes 
the bayonet to suit. (15.) The quadrant not being set 
right is another source of bad work. It will cause the 
mule to wind badly, if the quadrant is too far in towards 
the beam. The fallers will have a tendency to lift when 
the mule starts to go in, sometimes giving the winding 
catch a chance to slip and causing the cops to be run 
under. Then, as the cop is getting full, the nose peg has 
to be put down quite a way, causing the fallers to duck, or 
else you must keep turning the winding back. If the 
quadrant is too far back from the beam, the winding will 
be too tight at the commencement of the stretch, and the 
fallers will lift as the mule goes in, causing snarls on spindle 
points and often letting the winding catch slip just before 
the mule gets into the beam. To set the quadrant, stop 
the mule going in at the top of the machine. At this 
point, set the quadrant upright. (16.) Carriages knock- 
ing out too hard is another source of bad work, causing 
the yarn to be pulled by the carriage rebounding, especially 
on old mules. This may be remedied by pulling the scrolls 
on the back shaft a little over so that the drawino--out bands 
will come on the small part of the scrolls, causing the 
carriage to strike out easier. If the scrolls are pulled over 
too far, the carriage will be apt to slip off the catch, caus- 
ing the fallers to get locked, and in unlocking them, if the 
yarn is not lifted clear of the spindles, there will be con- 
siderable ends broken by lapping around one another when 
the carriage goes in. (17.) Another reason for bad work 
is in the temperature of the room being neglected. Some- 



41 

times we wonder what makes the work change so much in 
a short time, when, if we keep a close watch on the ther- 
mometer, we should find the cause very often. I find the 
best results in keeping the room at about seventy-eight or 
eighty degrees, if the weather is damp. I prefer to keep it 
at eighty or over in preference to letting the room get cold 
and being troubled with top rollers licking, thus causing 
bad work and spoiling the rollers as well. 

There are a great many more reasons, such as fallers, 
sickles, and wires being unlevel, chains on the fallers not 
being set right, counter belts too tight, causing the mule 
to jump out, saddle wires too long, back weights too high 
or too low or twisted sideways, short saddles not on right, 
careless doffing, or winding on to the spindles after piecing 
up the ends when they have been running down (which is 
a frequent occurrence after doffing) not having the tubes 
set down even, or careless starching when no tubes are 
used, slack bands, and a host of other things which call for 
the strictest attention on the part of every one employed in 
the spinning room. 



Whitinsville Spuing Ring Company, 



MANUKACIUREKS OK 



HIGH GRADE 



5teel Spinning and Twister Kings 



IN EVERY VARIETY. 



WHITINSVILLE SPINNING RING COMPANY, 

Whitinsville, Mass. 

U. S. A. 



gteel gpinriing aiid I'wisteF Icings. 





For nearly twenty-five years we have made a 
specialty of the manufacture of Spinning and 
Twister Rings. Our patented tools have revo- 
lutionized the ring business, and have been 
adopted by the leading makers in the United 
States and England. Our Patent Metallic- 
Burnish, used exclusively by us, is to the spin- 
ning ring what the ball bearing is to the bi- 
cycle, and our Double Burnished Ribbed Ring 
is the lightest running ring yet produced. 

We make every variety of Spinning and Twis- 
ter Rings. Our Narrow Vertical Rings are 
very popular for twisting. These rings are re- 
versible and cannot fail to give satisfaction. 
We furnish either Cast Iron or Plate Holders 
for the Double Adjustable Ring. 

We are constantly making experiments to 
improve the process of manufacture, and spare 
no expense in order to secure the best methods 
obtainable. Manufacturers desiring to purchase 
rings or make changes in spinning will please 
send to us for information and samples before 
ordering of other parties. 




The Burnished Spinning Ring. 

A Long Felt Want. —It is impossible, 
by any method of polishing, to produce a new 
spinning ring that will run as light as one that 
has been in use several months. Until new 
rings have become burnished by the action of 
the travelers, they have always caused a con- 
stant breakage of ends, an immense waste of 
travelers, a falling off in the quantity of yarn 
produced, and a loss in quality as well, to say 
nothing of the vexation among the operatives 
arising from the ill running work, the dissatis- 







faction among them caused by the fhcreased 
labor they are called upon to perform, the con- 
sequent neglect of their regular work, and the 
serious effects of these evils upon all succeed- 
ing operations. These draw-backs have grown 
in seriousness as the speed of the spindles has 
been increased, and some remedy for these 
evils has been a long felt want. 

The Want Supplied. — Some seven years 
ago, after many experiments, we succeeded in 
originating a machine that will give new rings 
exactly the same burnish as that produced by 
the traveler after the rings have been in use 
several months. The process by which this 
long felt want was supplied is patented, and is 
known to the trade as our patent metallic 
burnish. 

Results Secured. — Most remarkable re- 
sults have been secured by the use of rings 
burnished by this patent process. Tests show 
that the use of the burnished ring greatly re- 
duces the consumption of travelers, causes less 
waste, minimizes the breaking of ends when 
new rings are started, and materially improves 
the (piality and increases the quantity of yarn 
spun. 

Story of a Test. — A trial test was made 
recently on two spinning frames of 160 spindles 
each. Time run, 20 hours; warp, No. 29; 
Whitin Gravity Spindle making 9100 revolu- 
tions per minute; if inch Whitinsville Spin- 
ning Ring Company's burnished and unbur- 
nished rings, iGo of each. The test was made 
in the worst possible weather for spinning for 
the purpose of showing the results at the most 
critical time for new rings. On the burnished 
rings the standard weight of travelers was used, 
that is, the weight used for the same number of 
yarn in other parts of the room. Weight of 
traveler, 10 etjual 6 grains. On the unbur- 
nished rings, 10 travelers equalled 5 grains. 
Up to the time the first traveler came off the 
burnished rings, which was just 20 hours, 430 
travelers had been used on the unburnished 






rings. Doubtless the same, or nearly the same, 
results would be obtained under the same con- 
dition of the atmosphere in any mill. When 
the results of this test are considered in their 
relation to the operatives, and the quantity and 
(juality of yarn spun, the vahie of the burnished 
ring will be readily recognized. 

Other Tests. — Other tests have been made 
from time to time. None of these have shown 
less than fifty per cent saved in travelers for the 
first ten days by the use of the~ burnished ring, 
and all of these tests prove that there is a large 
saving for several months. Manufacturers who 
have used burnished rings are satisfied that they 
are doing all that is claimed for them, and even 
more. We are convinced that it would be far 
cheaper for manufacturers to pay double the 
present price of the burnish, if necessary to 
secure it, than to use the ordinary unburnished 
ring. 

Burnish aids the Traveler in its Work. 
— When we fully consider the amount of labor 
performed by the traveler, why should we hesi- 
tate to give it all the advantages we can ? Often 
it is the most troublesome part of the supplies 
needed, because it is a continuous expense, 
and many are used. The burnished ring aids 
the traveler in its work, giving it every advan- 
tage in ease and lightness of running. The less 
the friction between ring and traveler, the less 
the expenditure for travelers. The burnish re- 
duces friction to a minimum. 

Durability of the Burnished Ring. — 
Now that the varied advantages of the burnished 
ring have been set forth, just a word about its 
durability. When the burnished ring was first 
introduced, some spinners claimed that the 
burnishing would affect the life of the ring, and 
that rings subjected to that process would not 
prove as durable as rings burnished by the 
action of the traveler. Since these objections 
were raised, numerous tests have been made to 
ascertain the truth in regard to the comparative 





V. S. standard Traveler Cleaner. 

Patented Feb. 26, 1889. 
" Oct. 21, 1890. 
" Oct. 21, 1890. 



durability of tlie burnished and unburnished 
rings. Whitinsville Spinning Ring Company 
rings, alike in every respect save the burnish, 
were placed side by side in the same room, and 
even on the same frame, careful note being 
taken of the wearing qualities of each, and in 
every instance the burnished rings proved the 
more durable. 

To Sum Up. — Now to sum up and state 
the advantages of the burnished ring over the 
unburnished, in a concise form : Great Sav- 
ing of Travelers; Decrease in Amount 
of Waste Made ; Better Quality of Yarn 
Spun ; Consequent Benefit to All Suc- 
ceeding Operations; Increase in Quan- 
tity of Yarn Produced ; Aids the Trav- 
eler in its Work ; Dispels Dissatisfaction 
Among Employees, arising from 111 
Running Work ; Reduces Work of Oper- 
atives ; Allows Operatives Opportunity 
to do Their Work Well; Adds to the 
Durability of the Ring; Increases Pro- 
duction and Lessens the Cost. 




A Perfect Traveler Cleaner. 




Greatest Evil in Cotton Manufactur- 
ing. — "Unp:vkn Yarn is the greatest evil in 
cotton manufacturing. To remove this evil has 
been the aim and object of inventors and arti- 
sans from almost the very inception of the spin- 
ning industry." 

One Cause of It. — Dikjv Travelers, 
travelers loaded with lint, arc a prolific source 
of uneven yarn. They render the yarn kinky 
and overstrained, seriously affecting the quality 
of the product in subsequent processes. Loose 
waste floating about the room gathers on the 
traveler, impeding the passage of the yarn, in- 
creasing the weight of the traveler, breaking 






ends, and adding materially to the work of the 
operative. Elastic yarns are the best, and the 
elasticity is largely controlled by the traveler. 
Unless the traveler is kept free from accumula- 
tions of waste or lint, we cannot secure the 
elasticity desirable, as the finer places in the 
yarn are so apt to break. 

A Remedy. — We have a remedv for that 
part which dirty travelers play in the making of 
uneven yarn. That remedy is our United 
States Sfandard Traveler Cleaner, which 
has only to be seen to be appreciated. It 
keeps the travelers thoroughly cleaned, and 
does it automatically. It requires no attention 
from the spinner. 

Other Devices Unsatisfactory. — Here- 
tofore all traveler cleaning devices put upon the 
market have proved very unsatisfactory, to say 
the least. They continually worked out of place 
and were lost, or became clogged with lint, or 
had to be adjusted every time the ring was 
moved ; in short, could not be depended upon 
to do the work for which they were intended. 

Difficulties Overcome. — But all that is 
now past. All these diflficulties have been over- 
come by the introduction of the United 
States Standard Traveler Cleaner, which 
is far superior in every respect to any other on 
the market. It cleans the traveler automati- 
cally. It cannot get out of place. It never 
gets clogged with lint. It will pay for itself 
many times over in the saving of travelers. It 
saves labor by removing one cause of broken 
ends and relieving the spinner of the necessity 
of picking the lint from the travelers. By 
keeping the traveler free from lint, it relieves 
the yarn from any undue strain, the threads 
consequently retaining their elasticity and even- 
ness as well, properties so essential to good 
weaving. 

Leading Points of Advantage. —The 
United States Standard Traveler Cleaner 
has many leading, points of advantage, whose 
value will be recognized by practical spinners 



8 






everywhere. It is neat, simple, cheap, durable, 
effective, easy to apply, always in place, and 
is self cleaning. 

It is the Simplest. — Because it consists 
of one piece of plain wire. No drilling or 
tapping of rails necessary to apply it. No 
screws needed to secure it. No getting out of 
]:)lace when once in position. 

It is the Cheapest. — Because the cost 
of applying it is nothing, and because it does 
the work better than any other. 

It is Easiest to Apply. — Because it can 
be sprung into place instantly, not more than 
ten minutes being required to apply it to a 
frame of one hundred and sixty spindles. 

It cannot get out of Place. — Because 
it encircles the ring, is practically a part of the 
ring, and whatever position the ring may be in, 
the finger of the traveler cleaner is always at 
the proper distance from the flange. 

It is Self-Cleaning. — Because the angle 
given to the projecting finger prevents the ac- 
cumulation of lint or dirt, and the circulation 
of air produced by the speed of the bobbin is 
sufficient to keep it clean. 

Why use the Traveler Cleaner? — 
When the amount of labor performed by the 
traveler is fully considered, why should we hesi- 
tate to give it all the advantages we can? Every 
bit of help given the traveler adds something 
to the quality of the yarn, to the quality of 
the fabric, and consecjuently to the profits. 
Here is an opportunity to aid it. (live the 
Unhed States Standard '1"ra\ eler Cleaner a 
trial and be convinced of its merits. We fur- 
nish the plate holders with turned up traveler 
cleaners where parties prefer that style. 




WILLIAM WHITTAM, Jr. 



WILLIAM WHITTAM, Jr., 

OF WESTERLY, R. I. 

William Whittam, Jr., was born in Preston, Lanca- 
shire, England, twenty-nine years ago. He first started 
work in the warehouse of the Lutwidge Mill, at the age of 
twelve, of which mill his father is superintendent. After- 
wards he went into the mule room, and then the card room 
as stripper and grinder, then section hand, and afterwards 
as overseer. From this position he was for about a year 
an assistant to the superintendent and spinning overseer. 

From this firm he went as overseer to Houldsworth 
Brothers, Bolton, England, and then to Rylands & Sons, 
sometimes known as the Dacca Twist Company, as over- 
seer of carding. This is a large firm, having over one 
hundred and seventy cards, of which one hundred and thirty- 
nine are revolving flats. He came to this country in 1890 
on a visit, and while here engaiJ^ed as overseer of cardinof 
with the Clark Thread Company, Newark, N. J., from which 
place in 1891 he engaged as superintendent with the Wil- 
liam Clark Company, thread manufacturers, of Westerly, 
R. I., at that time in process of erection. 

He is the author of a work on cotton spinning which he 
has run through one edition, and holds first-class honors 
certificates in cotton spinning and cotton manufacture from 
the city and guilds of the London Institute, also " Full 
Technological " certificate in these subjects. He has also 
graduated in mechanics, machine construction, mathe- 
matics, magnetism and electricity, and other scientific sub- 
jects, and is the holder of the gold medallion of the St. 
John Ambulance Association. 

43 



PRIZE ESSAY ON SPINNING, 

NO. i6. 



BY WILLIAM WHITTAM, JR. 



CHAPTER I. 



In this essay it is my purpose to begin at the beginning 
and give all the causes and remedies for bad work in cot- 
ton spinning rooms that I can, whether they are attributable 
to the spinning room or to any other department ; for, since 
bad work can be and is caused in other stages of the ma- 
nipulation of the material than in the spinning room, that 
spinner who cannot discriminate between the bad work 
caused in his department, and that for which other persons 
are responsible, will, in my opinion, often find himself in 
an awkward predicament ; and every person in the mill 
ought always to be on the alert to prevent faults, rather 
than to check them after they have occurred. In order to 
make myself more readily understood, I will classify my 
remarks under the three following heads: — 

First. Causes that are attributable to the raw material 
previous to its manipulation in the mill. 

Second. Causes that may be referred to improper or 
careless manipulation in the various processes to which the 
cotton is subjected in its preparation for the spinning 
machines. 

Thii'd. Causes and their remedies in the cotton spin- 
ning rooms. 

To commence with the first division of our subject: 
There is a very considerable amount of trouble and bad 
work caused in spinning rooms, and indeed in every other 

45 



46 

department of the mill, owing to large quantities of unripe 
and imperfectly developed fibre being mixed during the 
collecting and packing operation with the good stock, 
causing a large amount of waste to be made, and soft yarn 
is very often the result ; and in cottons of the lower grades 
these evils are largely increased by the practice common, if 
not general, among cotton growers, of collecting the imma- 
ture pods on the cotton plants, after the latter have been 
killed by the frost, or from any other cause have ceased to 
grow. These are dried, the lint stripped from them and 
added to the bulk. Again, the same evil results in spin- 
ning may be caused by carelessness or ignorance during 
"ginning" or separating the fibre from the seeds, to which 
they adhere very tenaciously. When the "gin" is over- 
crowded, or when the gin blades rub against the grate 
bars, the cotton is seriously injured by becoming 
"nepped"; that is, the fibres are caught and rolled into 
little balls about the size of a pin's head, and they form a 
great defect in yarns when present in any considerable 
quantity, and are very difficult of removal in any stage of 
manufacture. The remedies which can be applied in the 
mill for these evils lie in a strict and intelligent examina- 
tion of every bale previous to its incorporation into the 
mixing, and the rejection of those bales in which these 
objectionable features are found to exist to any abnormal 
extent. 

We will now consider the second division of our sub- 
ject, or, " causes that may be referred to improper or care- 
less manipulation in the various processes to which the 
cotton is subjected in its preparation for the spinning 
machines." In the first place, in this division, will come 
"mixing operations," and the saying that " there is a good 
deal of spinning done in the mixing room," should be a 
sufficient proof of the importance of good mixing, and 
I may lay it down as an almost axiomatic truth, that 
long and short stapled cottons should never be mixed or 



47 

worked together. Where different kinds of cotton are 
mixed together, the greatest care should be exercised in 
the selection of the stock, so that they may all be of one 
length, or as nearly so as possible. If short and long 
stocks are run together, excessive waste and weak and 
poor yarn, consequently bad spinning, will be the result; 
for it is a matter of impossibility to set the rollers either in 
the card or spinning rooms to work two lengths of stock 
at one time with advantage. If they are set for the long 
stock, much of the short must necessarily fall out and 
become waste, and if set for the short, the long will be 
broken and also fall out. The rolls may of course be set 
in an intermediate position, and this, though tending 
towards it, is far from eradicating the evil. Indeed, the 
only way in which even a moderate perfection of spinning 
can be attained is by careful selection of the raw material, 
with regard to its general uniformity and adaptation to the 
counts into which it is to be spun. 

Next in order for our consideration is the picker room 
and its machinery. With regard to this room and also to 
the carding engines I may say, scutch and card light, if 
you want to have good spinning, and do not run your 
beaters too quickly, or put your cotton through too many 
beaters. All the above evils have a decidedly injurious 
effect on the cotton, destroying to a much greater extent 
than is often suspected the convolute form of the fibre to 
which it owes its good spinning properties. The stock 
that is treated with moderation, judgment, and skill in this 
department is less damaged, and will run with less twist, 
and causes less trouble and bad work in the after pro- 
cesses, and the yarn is stronger and the production greater. 
And here, while speaking of the first mechanical treat- 
ment of the stock, I may state that if you scutch and card 
light and quick, and have slow speeds at drawing, slub- 
bing, intermediate, and roving, and just as high speed 
as you can conveniently get at the spinning machines, you 



48 

• 
will be very hard to beat either in economy, quality, or 
quantity, and that the reverse to the above will be produc- 
tive of much loss, waste, and very bad spinning. 

Imperfect air currents will cause irregular laps to be 
made, and thus cause irregular and bad work in every 
other part of the mill. Having the fan that induces this 
current run too quickly will cause too strong a current to 
be generated, and thus carry on the short, weak fibres 
particles of leaf and other light foreign matter that by 
accident or design may be present in the cotton ; and this 
has a decidedly deteriorating effect on the spinning. The 
remedy for the first or irregular draft is to have all the 
doors, sides, and casings of the machines air tight, and the 
draughtway entirely free from obstructions, and for the 
second, to run the fan slower. Irregular feeding at the 
first machine, letting laps run out, or piecing them up 
double, " licking," or not unrolling in an even sheet, but 
taking part of another layer of the lap, with the result of 
making one part single and another double, are all agents 
in the production of bad spinning. These are also appli- 
cable to the carding engine. 

The remedies for these faults are care and attention on 
the part of the help, and the supervision of the overseer, 
and for " licking," take some weight off the lap roller, and 
reduce the speed of the fan a little. 

CHAPTER II. 

We must now consider the next process, in so far as it 
has to do with our subject. Carding is probably the most 
important process in cotton manufacturing, and when in- 
ferior work is produced in this process it cannot be remedied 
in any subsequent stage ; being the final stage of cleansing, 
wherein all foreign matters should be removed, and all 
immature fibre, etc., extracted, if this process is not given 
the strictest attention in every way, bad spinning will be 



49 

the result, for the particles of broken seed and leaf are 
carried through succeeding operations without being par- 
ticularly conspicuous or troublesome until the spinning 
process is reached, when they cause many broken ends, 
speckled yarn, etc. I will here again impress upon every 
one that if good results are desired, it is essential that cards 
be not overworked, that the carding should be what is called 
light weight ; but where heavy carding is a necessity the 
closest observation and nicest discrimination are required 
from the carder, not to allow the cotton to be delivered be- 
fore it is sufficiently carded, and on the other hand never 
to allow it to remain too long in the card, for both these 
points will produce bad spinning and weak yarn, the first 
in not taking out all the unripe, immature fibre, and the 
second in destroying the elasticity, nature, and convolute 
form of the fibre. 

The orrindino^ of cardino- eno-ines is also a matter of con- 
siderable importance and must be attended to with some 
degree of skill and judgment, for more than is often thought, 
in the production of good carding, and consequently good 
spinning, depends upon good grinding ; if the grinding is 
not done skilfully, the cards cannot be set with that degree 
of accuracy that is indispensable to the production of good 
work. Again, neglecting to strip otten enough allows the 
cards to get clogged up or the wire filled with short waste 
or strippings. When this is the case, the cotton is simply 
passed through the card, and elongated or drawn, but does 
not receive any appreciable carding. Then, to prevent or 
remedy these evils, card lightly, grind and set skilfully and 
carefully, strip often, and have your cards on a solid, or, at 
any rate, a firm floor, free from vibration and perfectly 
level, so that there may be no unequal pressure of the 
working parts upon the bearings and frame work, for if 
you have vibration in your cards you cannot have first- 
rate carding; but all these things require to be checked by 
very close observation of results. The railway heads are 



50 

• 
also responsible for a considerable amount of uneven work, 

especially when the atmosphere is in an abnormally dry 

state, thus affecting the trumpet, so as to cause it to speed 

the rolls when this is not really necessary. 

The remedy for this is an artificial humidification of the 
room, and having the machine, especially the trumpet, in 
metallic connection with the earth, say through the medium 
of the gas-pipes, where those are present ; but I will refer 
to this point again when speaking of the action of electric- 
ity and the atmosphere in its different conditions on the 
cotton in its working in the mill. And it is not to be for- 
gotten that the setting of the feed rollers in openers and 
pickers must not be overlooked, for if not set close enough 
their function is necessarily performed in an imperfect 
manner, the cotton being taken from them in lumps, and 
in the case of the picking machines is opened and cleaned 
very imperfectly, and in the cards it greatly hinders the 
disentanglement of the fibres, and causes the web to be 
delivered in a cloudy state, instead of as a clear, level, and 
clean surface. 

In considering the drawing, slubbing, intermediate, and 
roving frames, I will only speak of the defects and irregu- 
larities peculiar to these machines, since the remarks I 
shall make on the rolls, creels, etc., of the spinning machines 
will be equally applicable to these frames. Not having the 
stop motions of the drawing frames thoroughly clean, well 
balanced, and in good working order, is responsible for a 
good deal of uneven and irregular work. 

When the frame does not stop, on an end breaking or 
running out as the case may be, much waste is made if the 
hand is inattentive in the discharge of her duties, but if 
the uneven sliver or single is allowed to pass, the result is, 
that it is very seldom properly balanced in the subsequent 
operations of doubling. This also applies to the doubler, 
or machine for making laps for the finisher card, and for 
those for making laps for tlie comber, where these machines 



51 

are used. The amount of drawing to which any sample of 
cotton is subjected must always depend on its nature, those 
of a strong, wiry nature being better adapted for a rather 
more severe treatment than soft, sericeous cottons. In the 
slubbing, intermediate, and roving frames or speeders, much 
bad and irregular work is caused by having imperfect fliers 
when the hollow les^ is rouo;h on its inner surface. The 
roving is weakened by being made fuzzy or rough and 
weak. This may be obviated by having them polished and 
a smooth face put on them. The same result is brought 
about in some instances by the help knocking the flier down 
on the spindle with one of the top fiats or clearers, when 
from some such cause as the slot at the top of the spindle 
being filled with dirt, or the pin of the flier being crooked, 
it ( the flier ) does not slip into its proper position as readily 
as it ought. This often cuts the flier just where the roving 
passes over it, down into the leg of the flier. The obvious 
remedies for these evils are in having the slots systemati- 
cally cleaned, and straight pins put in the fliers where 
required, and in strict instructions being given to the tenters 
to desist from this practice, and in the overseer taking care 
that his instructions are carried out. When the presser on 
the flier leg, where used, is stiff, and consequently does not 
submit to the centripetal force generated by its revolution, 
it causes soft bobbins to be made and a weak roving to be 
produced, which will break often when unwinding at the 
next creel, thus causing annoyance and bad spinning at the 
final operation. When these bobbins are found, they 
ought to be at once reported to the boss, second hand, or 
whoever is responsible, and the flier should be at once 
examined and made to work perfectly free and easy. 
Sometimes the wrong ratchet wheel is put on, when it will 
make the frame run either too tight or too slack, de- 
pendent on whether the wheel has too few or too many 
teeth in it, causing the roving to be stretched when it is 
too tight, and when too slack the tenter will often wind up 



52 

the wheel a tooth, thus not only taking up the slack rove, 
but for a time making it run too tight and bringing about 
irregular and bad work in all after processes. 

Again, when the cone drum belt is too slack, the same 
thing happens, the help in charge of the frame winding up 
a tooth, and as before stretching the rove. The remedy 
for the wrong wheel is evident, that is, putting on the right 
one ; and for the slack cone belt, having them tightened 
and kept in good condition, for by attending to this very 
important point, better work will be made and the produc- 
tion increased, and there will be less irritation for the help 
and everybody concerned. When the small bevel wheel 
in speeders is not properly geared, or when it or the wheel 
into which it gears is worn, it will cause the bobbin to jump 
or dance and break the end, or stretch the rove. This may 
be obviated by having a systematic inspection of these 
wheels, and having the help report such cases at once. 
Sometimes the same effect is produced when a bobbin or 
top shaft is crooked or strained. In this case it will affect 
several bobbins. 

The springs being too weak that work the catches of 
the ratchet wheel, will cause much bad work. I have often 
noticed a practice which some frame tenters have, and 
which ought to be well looked after and put down with a 
strong hand ; it is when they have allowed an end to re- 
main too long down and the frame to run too long before 
the end is pieced up. The bobbin gets too small to take 
up the rove as quickly as it is delivered by the front roll ; 
then, rather than be taken to task for having a spindle run- 
ning bare, they sometimes put a piece of waste under the 
weight hook of the front roll, and this increases the friction 
and causes the front roll to run slower, thus delivering a 
less amount of rove than the others, making the bobbin 
wind, but as a consequence affecting the draft, making it 
less and the roving coarser, and where there are four ends 
to a roll it affects four bobbins ; and on one occasion I 



53 

put four bobbins of this sort in the mule and tested the 
cops made from them, and instead of 50s being made, they 
sized or wrapped 36s — a very serious variation. Of 
course, when loose bossed or shell top rolls are used, this 
cannot be done. Any of the help who are found guilty of 
this practice ought, after having been once cautioned, to be 
discharged as a warning to the rest of the seriousness of 
the offence. 

CHAPTER in. 

We must now proceed with the third division of our 
subject, namely, " Causes and their remedies in the cotton- 
spinning room," and I will, in dealing with this part, again 
sub-divide it into three divisions : — 

a. Causes that are applicable to both ring frames and 
mules. 

b. Causes that are applicable to mules only. 

c. Causes that affect ring frames only, with the remedies 
for the above. 

In division a we will first review the causes of bad work 
for which imperfect roving is responsible. Stretched or 
cut roving causes a great amount of trouble in breaking, 
when unwinding in the creels, or when delivered from the 
front roll. The cause of its breaking, in the former case, 
is its being weakened, and thus being unable to bear the 
strain to which it is subjected in being pulled off the bob- 
bin ; and in the latter case it is not sufficiently strong to 
withstand the weight of the traveler or the counter faller, 
as the case may be. The remedy for these faults is to be 
found in the points which I have already enumerated 
under the head of speeders, and those I shall speak of 
shortly in dealing with the injuries to the rove or thread 
caused by carelessness, misarrangement, or bad condition 
of the rolls, and those that the appliances of the creel, etc., 
are responsible for. Soft bobbins I have already dealt 
with, and it now only remains for me to point out that the 



54 

roving must have the right amount of twist in it ; for, if 
too httle twist is put in, the bobbins will not run off in the 
creels, or if they do so the rove will be stretched, and in 
either case the result will be the same as that to be found 
in cut and stretched rovins;. When too much twist is in 
the rove, it will be but imperfectly drawn in the rollers, and 
the result will be an uneven, raw, and " cockly " looking 
thread ; the obvious remedy is to have the right amount of 
twist, and, thouQ^h there is a rule for obtainino; this amount, 
it must be used in conjunction with a close observation of 
the bobbins when being run off, for weaker cottons require 
more twist, and stronger and long stock less twist, than that 
obtained by rule. Here I will say that you should always 
have a little more twist in than is required to pull it off the 
bobbin, for the feet of the creel pegs are almost always 
clogged with waste cotton, which increases the friction 
very considerably This, of course, applies to all speeders, 
except the slubbing frame, as well as to the spinning 
machines. The roving must be of the right hank, for if 
too fine the yarn made from it will be the same, and bad 
spinning will result from there not being enough twist in 
the yarn, and consequent breakages will occur, the twist 
gear having been calculated for the right hank roving. 
When too coarse, the yarn will have too much twist, and 
run into snarls from the same reason. 

We will now go on to the causes of bad spinning and 
their remedies, which the creels, rolls, and all the appliances 
for the attenuation of the fibre are responsible for, and 
careless manipulation in this process ; and all these causes, 
reasons, and remedies are equally applicable to speeders as 
well as mules and ring frames, and also those of the rolls, 
to the drawing frames, combers, and eveners. Then, in 
reference to the creels: When the bottom points of the 
creel pegs are allowed to become too blunt, or too much 
waste cotton or "fly" is allowed to accumulate under these 
points, the friction is increased to such an extent that the 



55 

rove is either broken or stretched, and the same evil results 
follow as those previously enumerated. Again, when put- 
ting in a fresh stock of bobbins, or "creeling," as it is 
called, the help often leave six or eight inches, and some- 
times even more, of rove hanging, which causes great 
irregularity in the yarn, and consequent bad spinning; and 
when two ends are run up behind, as in intermediate and 
roving frames, and in many instances in mules and ring 
frames, when an end breaks or runs out from behind it is 
allowed to run single, and the result is again bad spinning. 
In fact, this making of long or double piecings is a point 
which must be carefully watched in every machine in a 
cotton spinning mill, from the picker to the spinning 
frame. 

In speaking of the top rollers, a few words on roller 
covering will not be out of place, since it is impossible to 
over-estimate the importance of this operation in the pro- 
duction of a good, level, clear, and strong thread. It is 
absolutely necessary, in order to produce such a thread as 
I have described, that we should have good top leather 
rolls. In the first place, the leather itself must be of the 
best quality, and any false economy in this is bound to 
produce unsatisfactory results. The leathers, before beino- 
cut up, ought to be very carefully picked and sorted, as 
there is a very great difference in their thickness and 
quality. The thinner skins should be used for mule and 
ring frame rollers, and the thicker ones for drawing frames, 
speeders, etc. They should always be of a soft, pliable 
nature, so that when being drawn on to the rolls they will 
give nicely. Great attention should also be paid to the 
piecings of both leathers and cloths. They ought to be so 
well made that it is impossible, by the touch, to discover 
them. If this is neglected, the yarn or roving is sure to be 
cut at each revolution of the roller; and when it is found to 
be cut about every three inches, it is sure to be the fault of 
bad piecings in the rollers. All the extra attention paid in 



56 

this department is sure to be repaid by tlie prevention of 
bad spinning. 

The various imperfections in the top rollers, brought 
about by their being allowed to work too long before being 
changed, cause a great deal of bad work. When the roll- 
ers are fluted or have corrugations in the direction of their 
length, similar to those on the bottom rollers, they cause 
ends to be broken, and, if not taken out, much bad work 
and spinning are produced. Again, when the top rolls be- 
come " channelled," or have a continuous groove on their 
circumference by wearing too long, they are unable to 
" grip " the fibres of the thread properly, when by the 
movement of the traverse they come into the depression, 
and are thus prevented from drawing them in a regular 
and even manner; and as a result they produce a soft, 
uneven, and weak thread or rove. If the ends of the rolls 
are not finished off smooth, breakages and consequent bad 
spinning and uneven yarn is the result. Further, if the 
leathers or cloths on both ends or bosses of the roller (if 
fast bossed rolls) are not of the same thickness, they will 
cause one boss to have a greater diameter than the other ; 
and since their motion is acquired entirely by contact with 
the bottom roller, there will be an amount of abrasion in 
one of the bosses which will give the yarn a raw, cloudy 
appearance, and cause cut, soft, and weak yarn to be pro- 
duced. The remedies for these objectionable features are 
care, attention, and an intelligent and systematic inspection 
of all the rollers, and the removal of those in which any of 
these faults are found. 



CHAPTER IV. 

When the rolls are too dry they cause a coarser thread 
to be made. A great amount of indifference is often shown 
in respect to the back and middle top rollers, and some 
people seem to think that it is only about time to take them 



57 

out when the top finish of the leather is worn out, and to 
any one of an observant character this would be a serious 
omission ; and it invariably produces a lot of bad spin- 
ning. These rolls ought to be taken out directly if they 
show any of the above defects. When the top rolls are 
dirty, or waste (roller laps) is collected, this takes the weight 
off one boss and causes weak yarn and bad spinning. The 
same thing occurs when the bottom rolls get into this con- 
dition ; and when the waste is allowed to accumulate on 
the working part of the back steel roller, it increases its 
diameter at that part, and causes the yarn or rove to be 
made much coarser than it ought to be. The evident 
remedy for this is the thorough cleanliness of this part of 
the machines. When the bottom rolls have their working 
surfaces cut or indented, they cut and weaken the thread 
when in its traverse it passes over this part. And when 
their flutes or corrugations are worn too much, the top 
rollers have a greater liability to slip, since their motion is 
obtained only by friction, and this liability is still further 
increased when they require oiling or are dirty. The 
thread guides of the roller-traverse motion also require to 
be kept clean and not allowed to become too much worn, 
or they will cause breakage of ends stretching, and bad 
spinning. It is also very desirable that there should be a 
good motion attached to the frames and mules — one that 
is quick on the change and slow traveling, or "channelled " 
top rolls will be made and their consequent evils. The 
motion should also be set to the centre of the rollers, so 
that there will be no running out at ends, which is respon- 
sible for much bad spinning. 

When the bottom rolls get crooked or strained from any 
cause, they jump when working, and for a number of ends 
cause stretched and weak yarn. When the gears driving 
the rolls are set too deep or have their teeth worn, or when 
any of the wheels are loose on the roller ends or on their 
respective studs, cut yarn will be made, which will be gen- 



58 

eral for the whole length of the frame, and may thus*be 
distinguished from that caused by imperfect top rollers, 
which is only local in its effect, affecting the ends on those 
particular rollers only. The rollers must be properly set 
for the length of stock working, or weak yarn, much waste, 
and bad spinning will be made. The draughts should be 
well balanced, not too much between any one pair of roll- 
ers, always depending on the total draft, which should never 
be too great in any one machine. 

The "cap nebs " must be securely fastened and in their 
proper positions, and so fixed as not to bind the ends of 
the roller. No two rollers must be in contact, and all roll- 
ers and their bearings and working parts perfectly clean, 
well oiled, and easy running, otherwise bad spinning will 
result; and these things can only be kept right by system, 
intelligence, and close attention to duty on the part of every- 
body concerned. The top and under clearers must be 
kept clean and well covered or they will allow the waste to 
be incorporated into the yarn, which if it occurs in the 
speeders will bring bad work afterwards in every process. 
Both the top and bottom rollers must be well and regularly 
oiled, picked, and cleaned, or bad spinning will result. 
The rollers should never be picked when running, for this 
practice causes cut, irregular yarn and bad spinning. 
When the saddles are set on the top rolls the wrong way, 
it causes the most weigh: to be put on the wrong roll. 
When they are worn they place too much of a surface on 
the rolls and retard their movement to some extent, and 
thus cause an irregularly drawn thread to be made. The 
weights should always be put on the right place, not one 
on one part and another on another position, on different 
levers. 

The temperature of the rooms in a cotton mill should 
be an elevated one, especially for fine work, and in the 
spinning room, for several reasons. First, when the tem- 
perature of the spinning room is too low, a peculiar wax, 



59 

generally known as "cotton wax," which is associated with 
the outer surface of the fibre, becomes stiff, and renders 
the fibres more brittle, and an abnormal breakage of ends 
is the result. Second, it is a well-known fact that in order 
to obtain the best spinning, or even good spinning, the 
atmosphere of the room must be a moist one ; and scien- 
tists tell us that the hygrometric condition of any atmos- 
phere is directly affected by its temperature, and it is not 
the absolute quantity of moisture in the air, so much as its 
relative humidity, that affects the spinning; that is to say, 
it is the ratio of moisture or vapor actually present, to the 
amount which is capable of existing in the atmosphere 
at any given temperature. 

The higher the temperature the greater the quantity of 
water which may exist in vapor in the atmosphere, and the 
rooms should be kept at about So'^ F. of temperature, and 
nearly at saturation, as measured by the form of hygrom- 
eter known as the dry and wet bulb thermometers; then 
you will get just about as good spinning as you can, so far 
as the atmospheric conditions of your rooms go. Third, it 
is very generally known that when the room is in a dry 
state, the " natural moisture " of the fibre, or its water of 
hydration, escapes and is vaporized, and this naturally 
causes bad spinning. Again, when the room is in this 
condition, the electricity generated in the fibre by the 
friction to which it is subjected in the drawing process, is 
unable to escape and become latent, but remains in an 
unneutralized and active state, causing the fibres to have 
an electrical repulsion for each other, and their ends to fly 
off, and causes a soft, oozy thread to be made, and much 
bad spinning, since dry air is an almost absolute non-con- 
ductor of electricity ; at any rate it is the worst known, 
and moist air is a fairly good conductor, and the damper 
the air, the better conductor it is. So that it will be read- 
ily seen from these considerations that a warm, moist 
atmosphere is essential to good spinning. 



6o 



CHAPTER V. 

In considering the means or appliances for putting the 
twist in the thread, the following causes and remedies are 
equally applicable to both ring and mule spinning: The 
cylinders are sometimes out of line, and consequently 
binding in their bearings, making the rim band in the case 
of the mule, and the belt in the ring frame, to slip until it is 
abnormally tight, thus putting in less than the proper 
amount of twist, and causing a soft thread and bad spin- 
nino- to be made. The same thino: occurs when the 
cylinder bearings want lubricating and cleaning. These 
faults may be remedied by a close observation and regular 
examination of both the machines themselves and the 
work made from them, which will be weak, inelastic, and 
soft, and by having frequent and fixed times for these 
things to be done. 

The rim band, belt, or whatever transmits motion from 
the main shaft of the machine to the cylinder, must be 
kept tight, and in a good, flexible condition, so that it will 
not slip, but perform its work properly. Slack spindle 
bands cause soft yarn — from lack of twist — and bad 
spinning; these may be prevented by having the bands 
tied tightly when put on, and the right kind of knot made, 
a " reef " knot being the best, since it will not slip. 

When soft cops are found, the help should put on a new 
band, or report it at once to the person responsible for 
doing so. Soft yarn is made by the spindles not being 
perfectly free and easy, caused by their being either tight 
or binding in the bolster or bearings, want of oil or clean- 
ing, all these impeding their revolution and making bad 
spinning. Nothing can remedy these evils but strict 
supervision, order, and frequent and thorough oiling and 
cleaning. Long ends should never be left on the spindle 



6i 



bands when tying, since these are apt to become entangled 
with the adjacent spindles, and cause broken ends and bad 
spinning. 

On old mules the grooves of the rim pulleys are some- 
times worn, and a ridge or shoulder formed on them, which 
prevents the band from getting down to its proper place in 
the groove. When this is the case, it cannot bite or grip 
as it should do, even when the band is sufificiently tight, 
thus causing soft yarn and bad spinning ; when this feature 
is suspected, an occasional examination and the removal of 
those that are found to have these ridges on them will 
sufEce to remedy this. This naturally applies to the pulley 
on the cylinder shaft as well as to the rim pulley. Care- 
lessness in piecing broken ends is also a prolific cause of 
bad work, especially in the after processes. 

When an end is pieced up with the thumb it is not 
properly twisted, but just hangs together, as it were, with 
sufficient strength to wind on to the bobbin, but is 
almost sure to break during spooling; and when we con- 
sider what a large number of ends are pieced in this way 
in a mill in a day's time, the extent of the mischief done is 
readily apparent. To remedy this, all the help that are found 
to be piecing up in this way must be instructed and taught 
how to change their method to that of doing it by the first 
and second fingers, for when this is done most of the pieced 
ends will carry through all reasonable strain afterwards. 
While dealing with the piecing of broken ends there are 
two things to be observed peculiar to mule spinning. The 
first is the raising of the cop on the spindle, when it has 
been running for some little time with the end down ; if 
this is neglected it will cause " nick cops " to be made, and 
these are the cause of much trouble and bad work. The 
second point is that when the carriage has come out some 
distance from the roller beam some spinners will continue 
to piece up just as long as they can reach to do so, and to 
enable them to do this, they lift up the yarn off the spindle 



62 



with one hand and piece up with the other; if they did n(^ 
do so the end would not attach itself to the rollers, but 
would catch on to the under clearer. Now this yarn that 
they have lifted off the spindle collects on its point and 
runs into snarls, and every spinner knows that these must 
be strictly guarded against ; therefore any person seen to 
follow this practice ought to be told to discontinue it at 
once, and have the reason for doing so pointed out to him, 
and none but the veriest tyro would fail to see it. 

It is, of course, of paramount importance in relation to 
good spinning that the proper amount of twist is put into 
the thread ; and it must be remembered that if an overseer 
adheres rigidly to the rule for obtaining the twist, he 
will often find his room at sixes and sevens, for as I 
have previously observed in speaking of the speeders, 
the rule is all very well for obtaining the approximate 
number of turns per inch, and will answer satisfactorily 
when cotton of the right length of staple is used for the 
counts being spun, but the amount of twist must always be 
governed by circumstances, long cottons being spun with 
less, and short with greater than the standard, and to 
obtain the best results we must work accordingly, and if 
we do not the result will invariably be bad spinning. 

We will now proceed to consider the causes and remedies 
for bad spinning that are applicable to ring spinning 
frames only, and we will commence with the traveler. 
In the first place it must always be remembered that 
the force exerted by the traveler is always greatest imme- 
diately after doffing, and the numbers to be used must be 
such as to just nicely carry the thread at that stage, and 
neither too heavy nor too light. Other considerations to 
be taken into account in determining the weight of the 
traveler to be used, and which if neglected will cause bad 
spinning, are counts being spun, and the length and 
strength of the stock being used ; for it follows that the 
finer the counts the lighter the traveler, and vue vei'sa, and. 



63 

as I have previously observed, the shorter and weaker the 
stock being used, the less elastic, strong and solid will be 
the thread, rove, or sliver, all through, and consequently 
not able to stand the same strain. When determining the 
weight of traveler to use for any particular class of work, 
our conclusions are often completely nullified by an unreas- 
onable amount of uneven roving, that is as regards its 
hank, and this is one of the evils of uneven roving that I 
have not yet pointed out. It is a well-known fact that it is 
impossible to keep the roving exactly the right hank, and 
considerable (often too much) allowance is often made to 
the carder on this head; but when it varies all the way from 
one quarter to three quarters of a hank on each side of the 
the correct numbers, the task of the frame spinner over- 
looker is about to be a difhcult one in Qrettino- at the risht 
sort of traveler to use, for it will not answer to have many 
different numbers of them put indiscriminately on any 
frame. Say, for instance, that you are spinning 32s from 
a 4 hank having a draught of 8, and some bobbins are % hank 
heavy and others H hank light, then we shall have on some 
spindles 26s being spun, on others 32s, and from the light 
bobbins 38s, a difference of 12 hanks — a very serious 
difference indeed. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Dirty travelers are also a frequent cause of bad spinning, 
and the remedy for this is to have a good traveler cleaner. 
Some men oil the rings occasionally to assist the travelers, 
but I maintain that in well made and finished rings and 
travelers this is altogether unnecessary and does more 
harm than good, in making the loose waste floating about 
in the atmosphere collect more readily on the traveler, 
increasing its weight and breaking ends. Neglect in oiling 
spindles, besides causing the evils I have already pointed 
out, makes the yarn irregular or " bunchy," as it is often 
termed. The adjustment of the rings, spindles, and guide 



64 

wires, with regard to their relative positions, must be 
attended to or bad spinning will result, for if they are not 
all concentric they cannot perform their respective functions 
in a proper manner. The absence of a good " anti-balloon- 
ing " arrangement will cause many broken ends, when the 
speed of the spindle exceeds a given rate, for the centrifu- 
gal force generated by the rapid revolution of the spindle 
causes the threads to bulge outwards from their vertical 
position and form the figure of an inverted balloon, hence 
the term ; this makes the ends to lash together and break 
each other; a heavier traveler will partially prevent the fault, 
but the consumption of power will be increased. Accumu- 
lations of dirt or waste and lack of oil on the lifting rods 
will cause them to stick and sometimes throw them out of 
position, making bad and irregular yarn ; these faults may 
be removed by regular oiling and cleaning of the rods, and 
may be to a great extent prevented by having the rods 
protected with a sleeve. Warped and out-of-true bobbins 
will cause unnecessary trouble and bad work, and when 
cracked at the top the threads will catch and be broken, 
and any false economy in the matter of bobbins should 
be strictly guarded against, and all those which are found 
in this condition ought to be at once rejected. 

We will now proceed to consider the bad spinning to be 
found in mules, and endeavor to point out where the faults 
are to be found, their remedies and prevention. The 
carriage must be in a parallel line with the rolls and beam, 
and the drawing-out and taking-in bands tight, and all as 
near as possible at the same tension, or some portions of 
the carriage will be either stretching the yarn or running 
it into snarls. The scrolls must all be so arranged on their 
respective shafts as to start the carriage and stop it both 
on its outward and inward run in an easy manner and 
without any sudden jerk or bang, else the yarn will be 
strained and weakened, have its elasticity destroyed at 
certain points, and ends be broken. The first of these 



65 

evils may be prevented by frequent examinations and 
measurements, and the tightening up of any band that may 
require it ; the second may be altered by putting the scrolls 
forward or backward on their shafts as they may pluck, or 
bano- accordino^ to which end of the traverse this occurs. 
Where carriage floor stops are used they must all be kept 
in a parallel line and in their proper position, so that they 
may prevent all vibration when the carriage is brought to 
rest, on the termination of either its outward or inward 
run. The " drag " must be so adjusted as to keep all the 
ends at the proper tension when the carriage is coming 
out; if this is not attended to, the ends will be either 
stretched, or run into snarls, the former when the drag is 
too great and the latter when it is not sufficient, and in 
either case bad work will be made. Stretched yarn is 
sometimes made by having the " nut " on the quadrant too 
near the base, and thus turning the spindles too rapidly in 
proportion to the diameter attained by the cop; and the 
peg actuating the pulley which moves (through its band) 
the quadrant nut outwards must be arranged so as to do so 
at the proper time and not to move it either too much or 
too little at any one time, for if it is moved too much the 
fault will be found to be "snarly " yarn. 

Snarls are sometimes made by the carriage slipping 
back a little after the holding-out catch has taken hold, 
owing to the catch being in the wrong position, too far in, 
i e., too near the roller beam. When this is observed the 
catch must be set a little further back, just so that it will 
drop on to the stud, and hold the carriage exactly in the 
position in which it stops, until the necessary changes are 
made. The cam shaft must work quite free and easy, 
and its cams must be so arranged that each change will 
take place at the proper time, otherwise bad spinning will 
result. When the rollers stop too soon the result will be 
cut yarn, and when it is caused by this fault, it may be 
distinguished from that made by bad or faulty top rolls, by 



66 



its being general, /. c, affecting the whole length of the 
machine, while the latter is only local in its effect, affecting 
only the threads on that particular roller. When the rolls 
start too soon, snarls are made, owing to the carriage not 
being able to take up the slack thus given out, and ends 
are broken through, the yarn being in a very weak condi- 
tion just at that time, it not having its proper twist in it, 
and when they start too late they cause the yarn to be cut. 
To remedy this, put the attachment for gearing the roller 
catch box in its proper position, relative to the stopping 
and starting of the carriage. For spinning the finer counts 
of yarn, the spinning may be considerably improved by 
putting on the "bell wheel," or some other arrangement 
for holding out the carriage until the spindles have made 
the necessary number of revolutions for putting in the 
twist required for the counts being spun, and when this 
arrangement is fixed to the cylinder shaft it will almost 
entirely do away with soft yarn from slack rim bands. 

CHAPTER VII. 

The " bevel," or amount of inclination of the spindles, is 
another thing that must be noted in order to produce the 
best results, for when they have either too little or too 
much, it will cause unnecessary trouble to the spinners; 
and it will not be perhaps out of place to give the proper 
amount of bevel for the benefit of those who are seeking 
information. A sixteen-inch spindle, when on medium num- 
bers, should have four inches of bevel, and other lengths of 
spindle should have it in the same proportion according to 
their length. When the spindles are arranged by this rule 
they will be found to work satisfactorily. 

The fallers next demand our attention, and here I would 
warn the young spinner that a great deal of bad spinning 
is caused by their misarrangement, careless handling, and 
neglect. In the first place, then, the fallers must be 



67 

brought down upon the yarn gently, and after the winding 
faller has come in contact with the yarn, from its position 
of some two or three inches above it, it must just move 
with suf^cient velocity to keep the yarn tight, and neither cut 
it by movingtoo fast nor allow snarls to be formed through its 
moving too slow. A good backing-off chain tightening mo- 
tion will considerably assist in forming a good, solid, well- 
built cop, and eradicate many of the faults caused by slack 
winding, thus improving the spinning. When the backing- 
off chain has been adjusted to the proper length for backing 
off nicely at the commencement of a set of cops, it is 
desirable to gradually shorten it as the cop increases in 
length, until at the finish of the cop the chain is almost 
tight, and a good motion for performing this operation will 
so manipulate the chain as to correspond at every stage 
with the exact requirements of the case. Next to winding 
the yarn properly on the cop, this is the most essential 
condition in making a good cop. Again, the lever for put- 
ting the fallers and winding arrangement out of gear must 
be set so as to neither leave the yarn in snarls when the car- 
raige is at the roller beam, nor cut it ; and a judicious 
arrangement of this lever will leave the yarn just at the 
proper tension for the production of good work. The 
weight of the faller wires (counter faller) must be of the 
right amount so as to wind the yarn neither too tight nor 
too slack ; it must also be equally distributed, or bad spin- 
ning will result from having cut or slack yarn, as the case 
may be. When the faller wires, especially the winding 
fallers, are not straight, they will cause the cops to take 
up different positions on the spindles, and when the tapered 
form of the spindle is taken into consideration the result 
is evident, for on different spindles on the same mule the 
yarn is being wound on to different diameters, thus causing 
tight and slack winding and their attendant evils — cut 
yarn, much waste, and bad spinning. The remedy for this 
fault is to have the wires straightened immediately they are 
found to be out of line. 



68 



The faller wires, being worn at the points at which they 
come in contact with the yarn, will break down many of 
the threads and cause bad spinning. When wires are 
found to be in this condition they should be immediately 
replaced with new ones. Arrange the rise of your faller 
according to the diameter of your cop, and have on the 
right builder wheel or you will have bad spinning. The 
quadrant must be set in its proper position or the winding 
on will invariably prove unsatisfactory; and the proper 
position for the quadrant is, when the carriage is at the 
outer end of its stretch, the quadrant arm should stand 
twelve degrees outwards from the vertical, and during the 
run in of the carriage it should turn inwards through an 
angle of ninety degrees. In connection with this, I would 
just say a word or two on the necessity of a good nosing 
motion. In the construction of the simple quadrant for 
winding on the yarn, the unequal diameter or tapered form 
of the spindle was not taken into account, but was con- 
structed to form a cop on a spindle equal in its dimensions 
from the bottom to the top, and when the winding is 
arranged correctly for the diameter of the spindle. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

At the start of a set of cops, there is a constantly increas- 
ing departure from this point during the building, and as 
the finish of the set is approached, the cop noses get en- 
tangled, or " halched," which causes a great amount of 
waste in subsequent processes, and trouble to the spinner 
just before doffing; and at this time he wants to get all his 
work straight, and ends pieced up for this operation. The 
ordinary " nose peg," which deflects the winding chain, 
thus accelerating the speed of the spindles at the time the 
yarn is being wound on the apex, or nose of the cop, is a 
slight improvement, but is far from entirely obviating the 
fault, and the " nose peg bracket," though a slight improve- 



69 

ment to the above, is far from perfect. What is required 
is a motion of intermittent action that will accelerate the 
speed of the spindles in a ratio directly equal to the decrease 
in diameter, and the application of such a motion as this 
(and there are several such) will amply repay the additional 
outlay in improved spinning and less waste. 

When a soft lot of cotton is being used, unless well 
twisted, and if too much of a drag is put on the yarn, it 
will break very often, and make bad spinning and snicked 
cops. The cops ought always to be made of the proper 
shape, well copped and firm. When they are allowed to 
run too full on the spindles, they become entangled at the 
apex and slack wound. They must be raised to their 
proper positions on the spindles when the ends have been 
down too long, otherwise snicks will be made in them. 
When the tubes are used, they must all be put on to their 
proper places ; if this is not done, and they are left some 
up and others down, differential winding, with its attendant 
evils, will be the result ; the cop bottoms must be well 
starched, when tubes are not used, at the fifth or sixth draw 
from the commencement, having been just previously 
" whipped," i. e., the yarn run under two or three times to 
strengthen the aperture at the base, else much waste will 
be made in the process of weaving by " stabbing " them, 
owing to the aperture having become closed ; and they will 
often adhere somewhat to the spindles, and many of them 
become ravelled during doffing. All the catches and springs 
must be in good working order, or they will fail to act at 
the proper time and cause snarls or cut yarn to be made, 
and sometimes break down ail the ends. The weights on 
the top rolls, touching the carriage when it is at the roller 
beam, will cause soft places to be made in the yarn, owing 
to the weight being taken off the roll just at that time. To 
remedy this, they should be examined frequently and kept 
clear. 

When an end breaks, it will sometimes be twisted in with 



ro 



the adjacent one, and if this is not unwound very bad work 
is allowed to pass. Just before I conclude, it will perhaps 
interest some young spinner if I point out why snarls, or 
kinks, as they are sometimes called, are such an objection- 
able feature. Besides the trouble these give in weaving, 
owing to their shape, they also affect the strength of the 
thread for some distance in their immediate vicinity, for the 
" twist" in the fibres has a tendency to run together into 
these snarls, leaving the other portions comparatively with- 
out ; and that portion of the thread being no longer held 
together by twist, it has very little coherence when subjected 
to even the slightest strain ; therefore, from this it follows 
that they are apt to break under the strain to which they 
are subjected in winding on. 

In conclusion, I would say that although some may per- 
haps assert that some parts of this essay are a little too 
abstract and theoretical, still it cannot be doubted that a 
knowledge of the elements of the theory is of very consid- 
erable value to those who are mainly concerned with prac- 
tical results ; and I have tried to put these remarks in such 
a practical manner as will be readily understood by those 
deserving young men who are striving to climb a little 
higher up the ladder of success. 

Technical education is sadly behind in this country in 
the subject of cotton manufacture ; and shortly we in 
America shall awake, as did our cousins across the water a 
few years ago, to its importance. Always remember that 
everything must be done systematically. Oil and clean at 
regular intervals, have every part of your department, 
whether you are a workman or an overlooker, doing all that 
it was intended to do, and have nothing stopped. Take as 
your precepts (and act up to them) " Perseverance conquers 
all things," "Attend to details," and "The end of all gov- 
ernment is order." 



71 



CHAPTER IX. 

There remains now one branch of the cotton spinning 
industry for our consideration, which does not come under 
the head of ordinary numbers in spinning. I refer to the 
" Derby doubler," " ribbon lap machine," and the "comber." 
And there are many points which must be carefully 
attended to, or bad spinning will result. 

In the Derby doubler, and ribbon lap machine, the re- 
marks relative to drawing rollers, top fiats, etc., made in 
connection with the flier frames and spinning machines, 
are equally applicable, as also are they to the " draw box " 
of the combing machine. Then to consider each of these 
machines separately, so far as those faults peculiar to them- 
selves, which will cause bad spinning, are concerned. 

In the Derby doubler it is of importance — as in the 
case of the drawing frame — that the stop motions be kept 
in good condition, and that they be quick in their action. 
The bobbins must fit accurately between their fianges, or 
soft laps will be made that will cause a large amount of 
single in the lap machine, and the evil results of "single" 
are never entirely obliterated in any subsequent operation, 
although they may be greatly diminished. In the ribbon 
lap machine this is also, of equal importance ; further, this 
machine requires an extra amount of care in its working, 
since there are no automatic stop motions connected to the 
front of the machine, and on the failure of one of the ends 
it will continue to run until noticed by the attendant, and 
bad work is sure to result. 

When too much weight is put upon the calender 
rollers, the laps will " lick " behind the comber when being 
unrolled, and cause single and double to be passed on. 
The obvious remedy for this is to reduce the weight on 
the end of the calender roller lever. The curved plates 



72 

over which the sliver passes must be free from any if)ugh- 
ness, otherwise the sheet will catch and form uneven work ; 
if any are found to be thus, they should be taken off and 
have their surfaces perfectly finished by burnishing. In 
the comber machine there are many things which will 
affect the spinning to a very great extent, if, through either 
carelessness or ignorance, they be not attended to. 

CHAPTER X. 

Now to consider those points which have their effect on 
the spinning : It must be remembered that in very fine 
spinning, when these machines are generally used, small 
items that would be hardly noticed in the coarser num- 
bers have a much more serious effect, and greater attention 
must be given to them. 

The first subject, then, for consideration, in so far as it 
will affect the spinning, is the setting of the " comber." 
The cushion plate must be set " very equally " to the 
fluted segment all the way across, and care must be taken 
in pressing down the nipper knife on to the plate during 
this operation, that an equal pressure is applied all the 
time that it is being tested by the gauge. 

If this is not very carefully done it will be found to so 
affect the " detaching " function of the machine, and also 
its combing, as to render the sliver very weak. Sometimes, 
in fact, it will be found so much so as to barely have 
strength to carry on the table to the draw box of the 
comber, and where a sliver of such weakness is produced, 
it is evident that the resultant yarn will be weak, and 
broken ends and irregularities will be found, not only in 
the yarn but also in all the following processes. 

Then the condition of the leather composition or rub- 
ber, as the case may be, of the cushion plate is also a mat- 
ter of importance in the production of good work. For if 
it is not perfectly level, so as to ensure a good firm grip or 



73 

" nip " upon the material as it is being combed, an irregu- 
lar and cloudy sliver will result, and the effect upon the 
spinning will be similar to that previously noted. Of 
course the remedies for these defects are care and experi- 
ence in setting, and careful examination of the covering of 
the cushion plates of every machine. 

The parallelism of the detaching roller and feed roller 
to each other also requires notice, for if they are not paral- 
lel to each other at both ends of the frame, one end may be 
performing its duties properly, and the other neither making 
cloudy, unequal work nor breaking the fibres. Their rela- 
tive positions ought always to be altered by moving the 
feed roller up or down as may be necessary, and the fault 
thus remedied. 

The top leather detaching rollers must always be care- 
fully attended to, since, if they are not in excellent condi- 
tion, good work cannot be expected. They must be very 
equally covered, and a good varnish applied to them. If 
they are at all unequal or lack varnish, a cloudy irregu- 
larity will be observable in the web as it is delivered by 
these rolls, and this, of course, means an appreciable effect 
on the spinning where the finest numbers are being spun. 

These defects can be obviated by frequent and system- 
atic examination of the leather detaching rollers, and by 
the exercise of great care in the roller shop when covering 
these rollers. In fact, in my opinion, these rollers are the 
most important in the whole range of fine spinning, and 
any amount of care and attention bestowed upon them is 
sure to be amply repaid in the quality of yarn produced. 
The " oscillating top brass detaching roller " must be set 
so as to be just "flute" for "flute" to the bottom iron 
detaching roller. By this I mean that their corrugations 
must be set like the teeth of two wheels geared into each 
other, for if they are at all crossed, or " dog-legged," they 
will cut the fibres at each revolution, and this will obvi- 
ously weaken the product in every operation so much that 



74 

the spinning will be seriously affected, and many broken 
ends, much waste and single will be made. It will be 
easily observable on feeling these rollers whether they are 
in the proper position or not, since their cross movement 
is readily felt if the machine be stopped and the roller be 
worked gently backward and forward. If they are out of 
position, they can be quickly altered by set screws at each 
side of the roll. 

A few general observations are in order upon the work- 
ing of these complicated machines, and the results found 
by their neglect, which, although perhaps singly undetect- 
able in the operation of spinning, would in the aggregate 
cause very bad work to be made. In the first place, then, 
cleanliness is of the utmost importance in these machines. 
Small pieces of waste must never be allowed to accumulate 
in the corners of the guide tins ; nor must the top fiat on 
the detaching roller be allowed to become too dirty, for 
this would cause the end to break, and since there are not 
stop motions to these machines, the prevention of single is 
dependent on the care — too often absent — of the attend- 
ant. Further, the cylinders, brushes, and doffers must be 
kept well picked, the needles must be in good condition, 
and set at equal heights in the brasses of the cylinder, for 
if this is not correctly done it is an impossibility to set the 
machine with anything approaching accuracy. The 
needles of the top comb must be especially in good order 
all the time, for if two or more contiguous needles are 
missing, the web will have a " stringy " appearance, owing 
to imperfect combing. The studs working in the combs 
must always be in good order, not having flat sides nor 
their pins worn, since all these affect the product, and as I 
said above, although, individually, these points would be 
hardly observable in their effect on the spinning, yet, 
taken together, their effect would be very considerable 
indeed. 




JOHN B. CUDLIP. 



JOHN B. CUDLIP, 

> OF FALL RIVER, MASS. 

John B. Cudlip was born on March 1 1, 1867. On leaving 
school at the age of sixteen, he entered the office of the St. 
John Cotton Co., St. John, N. B. A portion of his duties 
consisted of taking in any mail that had come to the office 
for the hands, so, from being frequently through the mill, 
he soon became familiar with, at least, the appearances of 
the various machines. As he was fond of mechanics, the 
machines were extremely interesting, and he desired to 
know all their ins and outs. 

One day, after he had been in the office several months, 
the secretary of the company asked him why he did not go 
into the mill and learn the business of cotton manufacturing 
from cellar to attic, so to speak. He pointed out the 
various advantages of his pursuing such a course, and 
recommended the matter to his serious consideration. 
After thinking over the matter and looking at it in various 
lights, he finally decided to adopt Mr. Kitchum's sugges- 
tion, and, a man leaving the picking room shortly after, he 
took his place running a picker. From the picking room 
he followed the cotton through the various departments 
until it comes out the finished product. Upon the St. 
John Cotton Co. going into liquidation he entered the 
employ of William Parks & Sons, Ltd., where he remained 
some four years, working in various capacities in different 
departments. 

75 



76 

• 
On leaving them he went to work for Mr. A. A. Brig- 
ham, of Boston, importer of machinery. He left him to 
take charge of the spinning, etc., of the Colchester Mills, 
Winooski, Vt., which position he resigned to accept the 
superintendency of the Powhatan (Maryland) Mills. He 
resigned that position and re-entered the employ of Mr. 
Brigham. 



^ 



PRIZE ESSAY ON SPINNING, 

No. 12. 



BY JOHN B. CUDLIP. 



CHAPTER I. 



In treating of the various causes of bad work and their 
remedies in the process of spinning, I will divide the sub- 
ject into two sections, one of which relates to mule and the 
other to ring spinning. 

In order to more plainly enumerate the various causes 
of bad work, I will divide these remarks into sub-sections 
on : Bad work caused by rollers ; bad work caused by the 
spindles and carriages ; bad work caused by the copping 
and winding mechanism, and bad work arising from various 
other causes. 

Bad work caused by the rollers : How frequently we see 
very uneven, cloudy yarn produced from well-carded, even 
roving. This fact arises, as a general thing, from several 
causes. One frequent cause of it is that too great a draught 
is being used for the stock of which the roving is made. 
If the distance between the middle and back rolls is too 
great, uneven yarn is the result, and if the draught be- 
tween middle and back rolls is too great for the quality 
and twist of the roving, uneven yarn results. Right here, 
in the matter of middle and back draught, is where a 
great deal of roving is spoiled. Just because a mule 
frame has a certain drauo^ht between the middle and 
back rollers when it comes from the shop, some people 
will let it run that way, regardless of the twist, stock, 
or size of the hank roving. When the roving is soft and 

77 



7^ 

m 

the stock tender, the middle draught should be very, very 
slight, merely sufficient to keep the roving tight. With a 
hard-twisted roving or that made from long staple, strong 
cotton, the draught can be increased with benefit to the 
yarn, as it partly opens the roving and makes it draw more 
evenly between the middle and front rollers. On i6s 
hosiery yarn, I have produced a much better yarn than had 
been spun from the same hank roving and stock, merely 
by changing the middle draught. I generally set the front 
and middle rolls one sixteenth of an inch further apart, from 
bite to bite, than the average length of the staple being 
drawn ; it is better to have the rollers a little too close than 
too far apart, as in the former case it soon shows itself by 
" twirling," while in the latter case, a man, even if he notices 
that the yarn is not right, is too apt to let it go, and will, 
in all probability, say, if anything is said to him about the 
look of his yarn, " Well, yes, it does look a little uneven, 
but the card room is to blame for that." The coarser the 
hank roving, the further apart the rollers should be set. 
The amount of draught also governs the distance. The 
front top rolls should be set so as to bring their centres 
just a little further out than that of the steel rolls. If the 
top roll is set directly above the steel one, it is very apt, 
especially when the cop neb is worn, to fall back when the 
steel roll stops, and when the steel roll starts again the top 
roll will move forward until it strikes the front side of the 
neb, and thus produces cut yarn. 

Bent steel rolls make irregular yarn. The only cure is 
to take them out and straighten them. When the flutes of 
the rolls get worn very smooth, they are very liable to pro- 
duce an unevenly drawn yarn, unless an extra amount of 
weight is put on the top rolls. Retiuting of the rolls is the 
only real remedy for this, but, as a rule, when the rollers 
get so worn, it will be found far better to throw the machine 
out and put in a new one. The weights are very liable to 
get in the wrong nicks of the levers, and the levers get set- 



79 

ting at different angles. The latter is caused generally by 
the saddles getting mixed during scouring. These points 
require watching, as they tend to make bad work and bad 
spinning. Have the clearers kept in proper condition, the 
top ones smoothly lapped, as when they are not, lumps are 
very liable to drop down between the rollers and make bad 
work. Keep the bottom clearers well covered with flannel, 
so that when an end breaks it will be sure to catch on the 
clearer and not fly over on the next end. 

The squares of the rollers being much worn are a fertile 
source of cut work, especially when the back and middle 
rollers are driven from the far end of the front steel roller. 
The gears need watching pretty closely ; sometimes a tooth 
gets broken out and they run along for a time, making un- 
even yarn at every revolution, and sometimes some of the 
teeth get so filled up with waste as to force the gear out of 
place, causing it to miss a tooth or so, occasionally making 
cut yarn. The steady pins are sometimes too small for the 
holes in the gears, causing a back lash at every stretch, 
which causes cut yarn. See that the saddles sit squarely 
on the necks of the rolls and that the stirrups do not rub 
on the steel rolls. The axes of the leather rolls should 
coincide with those of the steel rolls, because when one end 
of the leather roll is further out than the other, uneven 
yarn results. Both bosses of the leather rolls should be of 
the same diameter. If one side is larger than the other, it 
lifts the smaller side up from the steel roll, making cut, 
uneven yarn. When using shell front rolls, by looking 
after the spinners and insisting that they use care when 
sizing their rolls, no trouble will be experienced from differ- 
ence in the size of the bosses, but when the solid front roll 
is used, the only thing to do when the bosses are found to 
be of different diameters is to throw the rollers out. It is 
a great folly to run a new roller when the piecing is bad. 
It is often done " because I don't want to use many rolls ; " 
but running a poor piecing is very bad economy, because 



8o 

it will make uneven work as long as it runs, and the same 
remark applies to loose cots. 

Lack of oil on the roller bearings is a frequent cause of 
bad work. See that the spinners keep the rolls well 
picked and oiled, but look out that too much oil is not put 
on at one time, as the moment there is any superfluity it 
will run on to the leather and spoil it. I have found oil 
and tallow mixed to be the best thing to lubricate rolls 
with. The tallow gives the oil body and prevents it 
evaporating so quickly. In mixing the tallow with the 
oil, care should be taken not to get too much in, for if you 
do, it will stick everything up. Experience is the only 
teacher of what quantity of tallow the oil will carry. 
Sometimes the steel rolls get badly cut up by the spinners 
carelessly using their hooks in taking off roller laps ; this 
means uneven yarn. It depends upon how badly the rollers 
are cut, whether they can be fixed in a measure even. 

Bad work caused by the carriages and spindles: The 
carriage being out of square is very productive of cut and 
strained yarn. This is caused by one end striking the 
stops before the other. It is also very hard on the carriage 
when it is out of square, and tends to bind the tin cylin- 
der ; in extreme cases causing the cylinders to run so 
heavily that the rim band will slip some, causing slack 
twisted yarn. To keep the carriages as square as possible, 
have the band of a good quality and well stretched when 
put on, and see that the person who puts the band on or 
squares the carriage gets the bands of the right tension 
and not pulling against one another. If using- chains in- 
stead of bands to work the carriage with, see that the 
teeth of the sprocket wheels on the back shaft are kept 
clear of waste, for sometimes it will get packed in so 
tightly that it causes the chain to slip a tooth or two. 
See that the slips are level and that there are no loose 
packings which will allow the slips to spring when the 
weight of the carriage comes at that point. 



8i 



CHAPTER II. 

When the back shaft is run too far over — by this I 
mean too far down on the inchnes — the carriage, when 
the bands are on the incline, draws out slower than the 
speed of deHvery of the rollers, thus causing slack yarn, 
and the castle head has to be set out so far in order to get 
the carriage to come on the catch, causing kinks. The 
boot leg knocking off too soon also produces kinks in the 
yarn. Tin cylinders running out of true, and dents in the 
cylinder, are productive of bad, slack-twisted yarn. If the 
bevel of the spindles is too great for the counts being 
spun, the yarn throws over the points of the spindles, 
causing snarls. Another cause of snarls being formed is 
the fact that sometimes the catch box of the cam slips, 
when the mule strikes out, thus delaying the throwing out 
of the roller catch box, which causes the roller to deliver 
too much yarn. The slipping of the catch box may arise 
from several causes ; the teeth may be badly worn, there 
may not be enough spring on, or the speed may have 
fallen so much that the cam does not get over far enough 
to change the motions. This is the case when the pin 
that bears against the incline of the cam and forces the 
loose half out of gear is too long. 

The friction cam that is applied to some of the new 
mules is a great improvement over the clutch arrange- 
ment. On the former, when the speed gets low, the cam 
is very liable not to make its full half revolution; thus the 
loose box is not forced clear of the tight one, causing it to 
" rake," which wears the teeth out and makes a very dis- 
agreeable noise. This is avoided on the friction cam, be- 
cause it takes such a small movement to disengage the 
loose half. The cam shaft can be run at a much higher 
speed with the friction than the clutch, thus enabling the 



82 

change to be made in less time, increasing the production, 
and improving the quahty of the work. 

Sometimes the roller catch box will slip a tooth or two 
when the mule starts out ; this is caused either by waste 
being in the teeth, the teeth being worn, not enough spring 
on the catch box lever, or want of oil on the loose half of 
the catch box ; this slippage causes strained cut yarn. 
The drag wheel teeth or those of the back shaft wheel 
sometimes get worn or filled up with waste, causing the 
drag wheel to jump. This stops the carriage and throws 
in kinks ; when the carriage starts out very keenly, the 
drag wheel is especially liable to jump. On one make of 
mules at least, the Taylor & Lang, the liability of the 
drag wheel jumping when the carriage starts out is done 
away with by putting an extra pressure on the drag wheel 
until the carriaoe o^ets well started. 

Care should be taken to see that the spindles are all of 
the same bevel, as, if there is any difference, the yarn will 
show it. In getting the bevel of the spindles it is neces- 
sary to take into consideration the distance that the spin- 
dle is set below the steel roller, the number of yarn to be 
made, and the twist and stock, as each of these will affect 
the bevel. With too much bevel the spindle will throw 
the yarn into little pinhead kinks, while with too little 
bevel it strains the yarn. Bent spindles, spindles needing 
oil, waste or dirt getting in the collars or footsteps, or slack 
bands, all cause bad work. The oiling should be regularly 
attended to and the spindles and carriage cleaned at suf- 
ficiently frequent intervals to keep them clean. Get good 
spindle banding, and see that the spinners put them on 
right and tie good, firm, flat knots. 

Bad work is caused by the copping and winding mech- 
anisms. This is one of the places where a great deal of very 
often unsuspected bad work is made. Bad cops mean bad 
spinning, bad weaving, and bad dividends ; because, with a 
badly constructed cop, it is impossible to avoid making too 



83 

large a percentage of waste. A well constructed cop is of 
an almost uniform hardness, the bottom, when the winding 
is properly attended to, showing no run under or slashed 
threads ; where the bottom comes to the full thickness it 
should be clearly defined and at the same time show no 
ridge ; the diameter of the full thickness should be uni- 
form throughout its length ; the chase should show no 
ridges or hollows, and the nose be firmly wound. The 
length of the chase should increase from the first stretch 
after dofifing until the full thickness is reached; from there 
till the completion the chase should constantly grow 
shorter, for two reasons : First, because the cop is bound 
more firmly and better fitted to withstand hauling; and 
second, because it is possible to get more yarn on the cop. 
If a cop is not right, in looking for the cause or causes of 
it, in the first place see if the defect is due to the spinner 
having too much or too little strap on, or not enough nose 
peg working ; if the scroll and back shafts are properly 
set ; if the faller couplings are keyed up solid and allow no 
play, the fallers all set the same distance from the spindles, 
the sides bent to the same angle, the slips level and firmly 
packed, the carriage square and working easily, and as stiff 
as possible ; see that the backing off is all right ; that the 
quadrant is set right and has the right sized pinion on ; 
that the hastening motion is being looked after by the 
spinner ; that the bearer bowl is true and that there is no 
back lash on any of the studs or bearings. 

In order to determine which of these things are at fault, 
if any, I will tell how I think they should be set. The 
scroll shaft should be set so as to draw the carriage firmly 
into the stops, so that there will be no jerk or dwell ; the 
faller rods should first be set by a gauge at a uniform dis- 
tance from the spindles ; the sickles should be set at the 
required place. Have the winding faller set so as to bring 
the faller wire as close to the cop as possible, during wind- 
ing, without rubbing. The closer it is set, the evener 



84 

and better the winding will be. If any of the slips give 
on account of the packing being loose, it will make rigid 
chases on the cops at that particular point, and in fact 
change the whole general shape of the cop. 

In setting the quadrant, several things must be consid- 
ered : the shape of the rail, size of the quadrant pinions, size 
of winding drum, and length of quadrant. Set the quadrant 
as far back as possible, for when it is set well back we get 
evener, steadier winding than when it is set too far forward. 
In the latter case the counter faller comes up too high 
when the mule starts to go in. If possible, — and it is possi- 
ble if you know how to do it, — have the winding so that 
the counter faller will ride almost level during the whole 
inward run of the carriage. Whenever you see a faller 
" dancing," be sure that the cops on that mule are not 
right. On some makes of mules it is possible to go by the 
old rule. Set the qradrant straight up and down when 
the bearer bowl is in the high point of the rail ; but this 
rule will only work sometimes. If the quadrant is driven 
by bands, see that they are tight enough. If there is any 
slack in them, irregular winding results. Sometimes the 
quadrant screw gets a little bent, which makes the strap- 
ping band slip and the winding get too tight. With quad- 
rants driven by bands, finer setting can be obtained than 
when using the side shaft, and when using the side shaft, 
unless the person who squares up the carriage is careful, 
he will get the position of the quadrant changed, through 
the back shaft being turned over or back a little from 
some of the bands being tighter than the others. 



CHAPTER III. 

As soon as the quadrant bands get much worn, take 
them off and put new ones on. A quadrant band break- 
ing often means a bad smash. See that the winding click 
takes hold promptly when the mule backs off. On some 



85 

makes of mules, the locking of the winding click is gov- 
erned by the boot leg, but, in my opinion, as good and 
better results are obtained by the use of the old click and 
spring, especially on quick-running mules. When either 
the click or the click gear teeth are much worn, uneven 
winding results, as the click will sometimes jump a tooth 
or two. By using the split click gear, an old one can be 
removed and a new one put in its place in a very short 
time and with very little labor. 

If the winding drum is binding so as not to take up all 
the slack of the winding; chain while the carriao-e is comino- 
out, very bad work results. Keep a few chain blocks on 
hand, and whenever you find one that has much play on 
the quadrant screw, take it off and put a new one on, for 
where there is any play, uneven winding and a severe 
strain on the whole winding mechanism takes place. See 
that all the set screws on the tin cylinder arbors are set 
up tight. When any of them get loose it causes bad back- 
ing off and winding. Have the mule start in easily, as a 
quick jerk is very severe on the winding mechanism and 
yarn. The swan neck should be nearly level when it 
strikes the backing-off lever bowl. By setting it thus, 
smoother backing off is obtained. Have the backing-off 
chain sufficiently tight to make the faller follow the yarn 
easily down the spindle. With too slack a chain it is im- 
possible to make a good firm nose. Most mules now have 
the automatic backing-off chain tighter. A mule will 
stand having the backing-off chain tighter towards the end 
of a set than when on the bottoms. On mules having the 
thumb-screw, to regulate the length of the backing off, a 
great many sets of fuzzy-nosed cops are made by the spin- 
ners neglecting to tighten the chain as the cop gets full. 
The hastening motion is also a great help toward making a 
good firm nose and keeping the kinks out of the yarn, 
especially on hard-twisted yarn. On one make of mule at 
least, the Taylor & Lang, the hastening motion is auto- 



86 



matic, being worked from a stud on the back plate. If the 
hastening motion is worked by a thumb-screw, see that the 
spinner looks after it. 

The spinner putting on too much nose peg at one time 
is productive of bad work in the shape of strained yarn and 
bad noses on cops. The automatic nose peg, worked 
either by an independent gear or else from the shaper 
plates, is much the best, as by its use uniformity in the use 
of the nose peg can be secured. Have the bottom of the 
bearer, where it rests on the bearer, perfectly level, except 
just on the inner corner, where it should be a little rounded 
off in order to make the boot leg unlock more easily. Set 
the monkey tail so that the full benefit will be derived from 
its shape, and the fallers unlock sooner on the bottom of 
the cop than on the nose. 

If, after looking over all these points, it is found that 
they are all right, then go to the rail and plates. But be 
careful about putting a file to either rail or plates. Both 
sides of the plates should be of the same height, so as to 
give the rail no chance to give about it. The back plate 
governs the relative length of the chase, while the front 
plate governs the shape of the cop more. The back plate 
should fall a great deal more steeply than the front plate 
in the portion over which the stud in the rail slides during 
the building of the bottom. This is to make the length of 
the chase constantly increase until the bottom is built; 
from the time that the bottom is built, the incline of the 
front plate should be steeper than that of the back one. 
This is to shorten the chase as the cop gets full. 

The portion of the front plate that forms the cop bottom 
must be filed to suit the taste of the person. If the 
bottoms are desired to be more or less rounding, file that 
portion of the plate more or less hollow. From the point 
of the plate where the full thickness of the cop begins, it 
should be perfectly true, that is, should show a perfectly 
straight surface to the end of the plate. Most new mules 



87 

have the loose front incline on the rails. This is a great 
improvement over the old soled rail, as by its use the point 
of locking of the faller can be kept at the same relative 
point of the chase throughout the cop. The rail should be 
filed so that there will be a constant rise up to the high 
point. From the high point it should drop quite sharply 
for about two and a half inches. From there to a point 
about an inch beyond the stud that works in the rail slide, 
the rail should be level, but have a uniform dip towards the 
back plate. From the point beyond the stud the rail 
should begin to fall at a constantly increasing inclination 
until the inner end is reached. In filing the rail the very 
greatest care must be taken so that the bearer bowl will 
have a bearing the full width of the rail, and so that there 
is not the slightest hollow in its entire length. A few 
wrong strokes of the file cause hours of hard work very 
often before the proper shape can be regained. 

If the plates and rail are right, and you wish to change 
the length of the bottom, you can set out the stop screw 
placed in the front plate. If the cop is too thin in the 
bottom, draw the back plate in. If it is desired to lengthen 
the bottom, draw the plates up further by setting the stop 
screw in. If you wish to alter the length of the chase on 
mules having a setting screw on the outer end of the rail, 
it is a very easy matter. The more you elevate the front 
of the rail, the longer chase you will obtain. On the old 
make of mules having no setting screw for this purpose, 
the only way is to file down the back plate. In defects of 
the cops, the rail is at fault for an uneven chase, that is, of 
course, when all the above-mentioned parts, such as wind- 
ing, etc., are right, and the plates for bad shape, such as the 
cop being the right size in the middle and small at the 
shoulder and towards the nose. In closing the paragraph 
on copping I will say that different yarns require differ- 
ently shaped cops. A weft cop is differently shaped from 
a twist cop, and a fine yarn requires a differently shaped 



88 

cop from coarse. It is very much easier to make a good- 
looking cop on fine yarn than on coarse, but the true test, 
if you wish to make it, is to take a mule, spinning medium 
numbers, say 40s, and put it on 6s or 7s, and then if the 
rail and plate are not exactly right, the cop will show it 
very plainly, while on the finer yarn it would be making an 
apparently good cop. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Bad work arising from various causes : In this section I 
will take up colored work among other things. In running 
colored work it will be found necessary on some colors, es- 
pecially when the stock is a little " burnt " and tender, to 
humor the mules in every possible way. I always use a 
varnish on the front rolls when running colored work, for 
two reasons, one of which is that it is the greatest pre- 
ventive of lapping that I know of, and the other reason 
is that by its use there will be a great many less rollers 
used and better spinning obtained. When drawing- 
browns, navy blues, blacks, and other hard colors, if you 
put a roller in without varnishing you will notice that in 
a day or two the finished surface of the leather, for the 
width that the roving traverses, is cut off, and that the 
leather looks roughed up; with rollers in this condition it 
is impossible to get good spinning. The roving will not 
draw evenly, and when an end breaks, up it goes around 
the leather roll, making cut yarn on the other side of the 
boss; and we all know that when a spinner, or rather a 
careless spinner, gets a lap or two on a roller, especially 
when the work is running badly, he is more than likely to 
spoil the roll in picking the lap off. Have the backing off 
as easy as possible — no jerks — and look out that the 
mule does not start out from the beam very keenly ; if it 
does, it is sure to snap down the ends. 

On some makes of mules it is possible to set the driving 



89 

belt so that it cannot get on the tight pulley for its full 
width. On other mules it will be found necessary to 
slacken the driving belt so that it will not drive too 
keenly. The faller weight inclines are also a great help. 
Set them so that the full weight will come gradually on 
the yarn. If the stock is tender, you will also have to 
run it with very little drag in, and set the castle head out 
so that there will not be much jacking. When the roving 
is hard and " spews " through the front roll, put more 
middle draus^ht in, but be careful not to cret too much. 

The bottoms of the skewers getting very blunt, waste 
getting around the bottom or top of the skewer, or the 
footsteps getting knocked or worn out, also cause bad work 
by stretching the roving. The roving guides getting 
partly stopped up with waste is also another cause of 
stretched roving. Bad piecings of the rovings should be 
watched for closely. Some boys are very hard to teach in 
this respect. They seem to take a positive delight in 
making hard, black, wet piecings with great long tails. 
The spinner's piecings should also be watched. Some 
men have a habit of letting lumpy piecings go so long as 
the end will stay up. I think that a good way to prevent 
bad piecings from the card room going through is to pay 
the back boys so much a hundred for all bad bobbins 
picked out, and then charge the frame tenters, whose 
marks are on the bobbins, for the amounts you pay the 
back boys. If you have not the automatic scavenger on, 
have the carriage and roller beams wiped off frequently 
enough to keep them clean, be it twice or ten times a day, 
for when waste is allowed to accumulate on either, a sud- 
den draught is very liable to blow some of it on the yarn. 
Keep the ceilings, shafting, and pulleys, gas pipes and fix- 
tures and sprinkler pipes, clean. When they are allowed 
to get dirty, small pieces of dirty waste are very liable to 
drop into the yarn and make bad places unless detected 
by the spinner. In oiling the bolsters, care should be 



90 

taken to keep the oil from getting on the cops. The 
scouring must be attended to if good work is to be pro- 
duced. Scour frequently and thoroughly, and you will 
have your own reward. Have a system throughout the 
room, and remember that success in spinning or any de- 
partment of the mill is only attained by attention to small 
matters and having a good system well carried out. 

Ring spinning : The causes that I have pointed out 
under the head of rollers, in the section relatino^ to mule 
spinning, also apply to the rollers of the ring spinning 
frames. Have the lifting rods run true and see that they 
work easily up and down. If a rod is worn, take it out and 
put in a new one. Worn lifting rods allow the rings to 
alter their position with regard to the concentricity of the 
spindles. This throws a severe strain on the yarn and 
causes bad work. When the liftins^ rods are not working 
freely, they will frequently cause rings or ridges to appear 
on the chase in a cop wind, or on a warp lift will make the 
thread wind over at the ends. The rail not being properly 
balanced will sometimes have a similar effect. Keep the 
rods free from waste and well oiled. By careful setting of 
the rings, so that the spindle will be exactly in the centre, 
the evil resulting from the spindle being out of centre may 
be avoided, thus producing a better quality of yarn. Go 
over them occasionally to see that the rings have not acci- 
dentally been moved. Set the pig-tail wires so that a plumb 
line dropped from the inner edge of the turn will strike the 
centre of the spindle. When the pig tail is not in its proper 
place it throws a strain on the yarn from the fact that it 
makes it bind on one side of the spindle, thus causing bad 
work. As soon as the thread cuts a groove in the pig tail 
take the wire out and put a new one in, because whenever 
a groove is cut and the yarn run through it, it tends to put 
extra friction on the yarn and keeps the twist from running 
up to the bite of the rollers. 

When using separators see that they are kept free from 



91 

slugs or bunches of waste, which are Uable to get on the 
yarn. The traveler cleaner should be set so as to keep the 
traveler as clean as possible, but in addition to the cleaner 
a traveler brush should be used several times a day. Set 
the brush so that the bristles will just touch the traveler. 
Do not let the travelers run too long, with the idea that it 
is economy, for it is the dearest thing to do. Watch the 
travelers closely and find out how long they will run well. 
Then make it a rule that once in so many weeks all the 
travelers on a frame shall be renewed. When the bobbins 
get worn so that they vibrate badly throw them out, as 
running them is productive of strained yarn and it is also 
very hard on the spindle. Have good banding and have 
it well put on. Soft twisted yarn means bad work in the 
spooling, slashing, and weaving, and also makes streaks in 
the cloth. Have all the ends twisted ; allow no " dab " 
piecings, which are very productive of bad yarn on account 
of the lumps they make. Have all the parts of the machine 
oiled as frequently as necessary. This will depend upon 
the oil used, speed of the machines, and temperature of 
rooms. 

When there is any arrangement for moistening the air 
of the rooms, the quality of the work will be greatly improved 
on dry days. This is especially so in spinning colored work 
or merino yarns. In a dry atmosphere a good deal of fric- 
tional electricity is generated, which makes it very difficult 
to handle the work with any degree of satisfaction. It also 
makes the yarn fuzzy and rough looking. 

In the ring room, as in the mule room, it is attention to 
details that ensures success. Care and attention are the 
watchwords used in securing both quantity and quality. 



245 91 






























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